Time After Time
by writrsblk
Summary: House and Cuddy all the way baby! Ha ha...just read the first chapter and you'll get the summary of this fic ;)
1. Chapter 1

**Okay everyone, I still plan on working on Gravity, however this story has taken hold of my muse and will not let it be, and so…. I must move forward with this fic, however before you start to read, here are a few things you should know…**

**1\. I'm throwing A TON of canon out the window! So if you're a stickler for that kind of thing, this might not be the story for you. Mind you, I will have _some _canon….as long as it helps in my evil plan to make you LOVE my little version of Huddy even more than the original lol.**

**2\. I'm shrinking down the age difference so that House is only one year older than Cuddy.**

**3\. This fic will follow House and Cuddy from High School, to College, possibly an inbetween time and later to PPTH**

**4\. Unlike some of the writers on House MD, Cuddy will not be made into a doormat (she's much stronger that that) and House will not venture into super EMO land. I will include his addiction to the vicodin just not as annoyingly hardcore as the TPTB loved to do.**

**5\. Remember this is fanfiction….so yeah…no copyright infringement blah blah blah..**

**6\. Above all else ...sit back, relax and enjoy. If you don't find yourself doing that...stop reading this fic and go outside for some fresh air :P**

**Chapter 1**

On the second floor of a traditional colonial house with a white picket fence, Lisa Cuddy races around her room at a frenzied pace, the alarm clock radio beside her bed, blaring music from the speaker as she rushes over to her closet.

_Moving on the floor now babe you're a bird of Paradise  
Cherry ice-cream smile…. I suppose it's very nice  
With a step to your left and a flick to the right  
You catch that mirror way out west  
You know you're something special and you look like you're the best…_

She was running late for her first day at school, the fact that she had snuck out of the house last night and had stayed out until nearly two am, the cause for her sleeping through the alarm this morning.

"Lisa, hurry up, you're going to be late!" Her mother Arlene yells up the steps to her.

"Five minutes mom!" Lisa yells back, grabbing her shoes.

It's Lisa's junior year at the Catholic high school where she is one of only a handful of Jewish students, the reputation of the school's academic program the reason why her parents had sent her there in the first place.

After slipping on her shoes, Lisa checks herself out in the full length mirror inside of her bedroom.

Her long dark hair is pulled back into a pony tail, loose curls running down her back, her makeup is flawless, as she has perfected the art of applying just enough to enhance her features without going overboard, her white, short sleeved, button up shirt is tailored to hug her curves, her cleavage mostly hidden, but presenting a nice view to anyone who glances her way at just the right angle.

Smoothing out the maroon and black plaid skirt she is wearing with her hands, Lisa eyeballs the length of it, knowing she is pushing the school dress code by taking up the hem three inches above her knees, however she also knows there will be several other girls at her school who have altered their skirts noticeably higher than hers, and that by playing the odds, she should be okay.

Turning sideways, she admires the shoes she has just put on, the black high heels with sexy straps that clasp around each of her ankles showing off her toned calves. She smiles at the notion that she has one upped the school board when it comes to her choice of shoes as no matter how "inappropriate" the may seem, these shoes are in fact _within _the school's dress policy, something she researched thoroughly before purchasing them.

It wasn't that she was a bad girl, or the type of person who ran around giving the middle finger to anyone in an authoritative role, however a policy stating that a pair of shoes, or the length of your skirt could have negative impact on your scholastic performance or….. _god forbid_….your morale fiber…was just plain idiotic to her.

_Her name is Rio, she don't need to understand  
And I might find her if I'm looking like I can  
Oh Rio, Rio hear them shout across the land  
From mountains in the north down to the Rio Grande_

"Lisa!" Her mother shouts up the stairs again.

"Coming!" Lisa yells back, shutting off the radio and slinging her school bag over her shoulder before running down the stairs.

"Don't speed." Arlene warns to her daughter, handing her a pair of keys as well as an apple.

Arlene Cuddy is a tall, strikingly beautiful woman. Her long blonde hair pulled back into a barrette, her daughter inheriting the coloring of her eyes as well as her nose.

"I won't." Lisa promises, grabbing the items from her mother before running out the back door.

Starting up the engine of the 67 red mustang, Lisa smiles as the car roars to life, the V8 motor under the hood is sexy and powerful, _and_ …..built for the type of speed her mother had warned her about. The fact that she had been able to convince both of her parents to let her purchase the vehicle regardless of the potential dangers, one of her greatest accomplishments to date.

Backing out of the driveway Lisa honks the horn and gives a wave to her mother, who will soon be leaving the house as well for her job as a real estate agent. Once she reaches the two lane highway that will take her school, Lisa presses her foot down on the gas pedal, expertly shifting gears and bringing the car up to seventy without even breaking a sweat.

**###########################################################**

Tossing the apple core into the trash can outside of the Christ our Savior Catholic high school, Lisa looks up at the outstretch hands of the statue of Jesus who is hovering above her, ominously welcoming her.

_Only two more years of blasphemy until we both never have to see each other again_, she thinks to herself with a smartass grin before stepping inside of the school.

She's more than halfway to her locker when she hears someone trying to get her attention.

"Hey, Lisa…...Lisa!" A male voice says from behind her.

She glances over her shoulder, seeing Tom Adams, the school's premier linebacker and undisputed star of the auto shop class, trying to catch up to her. Instead of stopping for him however, she keeps going, knowing he'll eventually reach her.

The athletically blessed boy weaves his way around his other classmates in the hall, nearly knocking over a freshmen in order to catch up with Lisa Cuddy.

"Damn, how do you walk so fast in those heels?" The boy says as he adjusts to her gate.

"Practice," Lisa tells him casually, "So what's up Tom?" she asks.

Tom is a senior and is built like a mac truck, however in contrast to his colossal size, the boy is soft spoken and with a gentle nature about him.

"Did you hear about Jason's party on Saturday?" He asks her as they continue on down the hallway together, passing the kids already at their lockers.

"I heard rumors about Jason's parents going out of town. So it's confirmed then?"

"Yeah, the party's definitely on. And well, I was wondering if maybe you can get us a keg?"

Lisa stops in her tracks, leaning closer to the boy.

"Tom, a keg is a very tall order. Exactly what do I get in return for such a risk?" She questions.

"Anything you want." Tom says in a faraway voice as he looks down her shirt.

"Focus Tom." She warns him, lifting his chin up with her fingertips so they are once more eye to eye.

"Shit….sorry about that." He says with a sheepish grin.

She rolls her eyes at him.

"You're forgiven; just remember that most girls like you to look in the eyes and not at their boobs."

"Yeah, I know. So what do you want in exchange for getting us the keg?" He says, trying to move on as quickly as he can from the embarrassing moment.

Lisa bites down on her bottom lip, contemplating her choices.

"Well ….my car needs washed, and detailed, and it _is _due for an oil change as well." She suggests.

"Done." Tom says without hesitation.

"Good, then it's a deal, but I do need someone who has a pickup truck to help out with the keg."

"I'll borrow Jason's truck off of him."

"Okay, I'll call you later tonight with the details." Lisa confirms as they arrive at her locker.

"Great. Hey by the way… how's the Stang running?" He asks.

"She's purrs like a kitten. Thanks to you of course." Lisa replies with a smile, watching with amusement as a blush suddenly washes over Tom's face.

Tom had given the engine of her mustang a complete overhaul in shop class after she first bought and _after_ she had secured a few cases of beer, as well as five or so Playboy magazines for him and his bodyshop crew, her complement on his mechanical ability just now, apparently something that he cared very deeply about.

"Great….welll…..I'lll …I'll talk to you tonight." Tom manages to say, nearly falling on his ass as he tries to maintain eye contact with her while turning around.

Lisa waits until Tom is gone before letting out a soft chuckle as the power a pair of breasts can have on the opposite sex is something that never ceases to amaze her.

###############################################################

It is after her first class, and when she is walking down the hallway to second period that Lisa makes eye contact with Jason Winters who is coming towards her from the opposite end of the hall. Jason is a junior and the star quarterback of the football team. He is tall, standing at six foot two and with broad shoulders, jet black hair and the kind of chiseled features that make every girl in this school go weak in the knees. As they pass each other in the hall amid the crowd of students heading for their own classes, his fingers touch hers for the briefest of seconds, the small, tightly folded note he has placed inside of her palm, done discretely so no one else can see.

She waits until she is in her Physics class to open up the note, which reads simply.

_Okay._

The note from the quarterback is a response to a place and time she had suggested to him yesterday after school. She tucks the note inside her of her purple Trapper Keeper and then opens her Physics book to the page Mister Daniels will be reviewing with them today. The rest of her classmates are still settling in as she looks over at the window and to the world outside, the sun shining brightly through the clouds, the trees swaying gently in the soft breeze on this early autumn day.

She can't wait to be out of this place, away from the drudgery and drama of high school and on her way to college, her dream of becoming a physician, the most important thing in the world to her.

"Okay class, before we start, I'd like to introduce our newest student, Greg House."

Her eyes follow the voice of her teacher and to the front of the classroom where a tall boy, with a slim build and brown hair is standing.

The boy looks uncomfortable and like he would rather be anyplace but here….she knows that feeling all too well.

He's dressed in the usual Catholic uniform garb, consisting of black dress pants, a white, short sleeved dress shirt and a maroon tie, however she notices (as she's sure everyone else in the class has as well) that the boys shirt is painfully wrinkled, she can also see that under the dress shirt, he's wearing a dark t-shirt, a clear violation of the dress code.

They make eye contact, his bright blue eyes zoning in on her like laser, but then moving away from her just as quickly as they had arrived.

"Greg, you can go ahead and take a seat at the back of the class." Mister Daniels says.

The back of the class just happens to be where Lisa is sitting, the empty desk beside her, now being filled by him.

"Junior?" She whispers over to him and to those amazing blue eyes of his.

"Senior." The boy responses before his eyes lower to her legs, which are crossed at the ankles

She smiles when his eyes return to her face, Greg House is a bad boy, of that she is certain, even though they've just met.

The question that remains however is just how long he'll hold her interest, as most of the bad boys she has encountered in the past were great to have some fun with, but then quickly cast aside by her as their lack of any type of intellectual promise left her bored and ready for the next adventure.

Before either of them can speak another word to each other Mr Daniels walks down the aisle towards them, spouting off his lesson of the day to the class. After the teacher turns and makes his way back to the front of the class, she glances over at Greg House again.

He's no longer looking at her, his head turned towards the long block of windows separating them from the world outside. She wonders if he longs to be free of this place just as much as she does, she wonders if the tall boy with blue eyes will be enough of a distraction to get her through her junior year of high school as her latest conquest is proving to be as boring as the drone of Mr Daniels voice as he continues to teach his lesson.


	2. Chapter 2

**A happy muse means another chapter for you! Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 2**

House had observed Lisa Cuddy for three days now and with great interest ever since the day they had first met. His inital assessment of her was that she would be any easy target, _those heels_ and the way she had smiled at him, having him thinking he had hit the jackpot, meeting a pretty little brunette who he could sweep off her feet with a plethora of bullshit. It was just the sort of thing he needed to make this unbearable last year of high school at least somewhat tolerable. He had done it before you see...good girls, easy girls, and popular girls like Lisa Cuddy all wanted what he had to offer. The mysterious boy who came to their school, a breath of fresh air in a teenage wasteland of boredom. The bad boy, the black sheep, and the one their parents warned them about, he had it all covered and had perfected his game during the past three years until it was pretty much perfect. And thanks to his father's military career, and never staying in one place too long the broken hearts or angry ex-girlfriends he left along the way were of no concern to him.

However, in his observations of Lisa Cuddy during the past few days at school he quickly discovered there was much to her than he had initially given her credit for, she was smart, in fact very smart and worst of all ...she knew it. The fact that it took him a whole entire day to realize she was now checking him out just as carefully as he was checking her out. leaving him cursing under his breath.

_Confidence_… that was perhaps the first thing he had noticed about her before her intellect. The dark-haired girl with smoldering gray eyes had a streak of confidence running through her that he had never witnessed before is someone so young, with every situation he had seen her in during the past few days, whether it be with her other classmates or her teachers, Lisa Cuddy was as sure of herself as the warm Autumn sun shining down on him now.

He was sitting on top of a small hill, his back resting on the trunk of an old oak tree, the sandwich he had packed for himself this morning, unwrapped from its foil but left untouched beside him. The designated lunch area of the school during warmer weather, located in the back of the building and consisting of a flowing carpet of grass, dotted with picnic tables here and there, along with a dozen shade trees.

Today he watched as Lisa had taken a thin blanket out of her book bag, spreading it onto the grass underneath a tree of her own before sitting down and taking her shoes off. She was sitting by herself, like him and just like she had done during the past three days, however from time to time, one by one, or in pairs, her classmates would stop by and speak to her, some had been male, others female, some would remain standing, others would sit with her and talk for a few short minutes as she ate her lunch. The most interesting aspect of this behavior to him was that all of the people who had come and gone Lisa's way had been from very different pecking orders within the high school social status. Some of them had been jocks or cheerleaders, others had been nerds, or the plain Jane's and Jim's of their day and still others had been obvious potheads, but no matter their status, Lisa had talked to all of them without hesitation, smiling, laughing and occasionally whispering to a select few, hand cupped up to their ears as she confided in them.

Continuing to watch her, he concluded that if the Catholic School had been a hive, Lisa Cuddy was the undisputed queen bee of the entire place.

_You've got them all in the palm of your hand, _he thought to himself with a smirk as the girl down the hill from him raised her face up the sun, closing her eyes and allowing the warmth of its rays to caress her skin.

When she suddenly stood up and looked his way, he instantly picked up his sandwich, taking a big bite and chewing it slowing as he watched her make her approach.

Toned legs, great breasts and curves in all the right places, she even had a superb ass, which he had gotten the chance to ogle at during gym class.

"Mind if I sit down?" Lisa asks to the boy sitting under the oak tree.

He had taken off his tie and dress shirt, a black Pink Floyd t-shirt now revealed to her along with a set of very toned biceps, his long legs stretched out before him, his eyes checking her out once more as they travel from her head to her feet.

"As long as you can guarantee that skirt of yours will be rising up your thighs, by all means." He replies back to her while chewing on his sandwich.

He figured his choice of words was a good test to see how she would receive such a statement, as he didn't have the time; or rather the interest in dealing with some stuck-up girl who got her jollies by endlessly cock-teasing all the boys.

"Interesting pick up line." She replied, taking a seat beside him.

"Oh please, I wasn't trying to ….." He starts to say, but stops mid-sentence, watching as her slender fingers smooth out the skirt on her lap, those same fingers inching her skirt up little more towards her waist until the fabric is dangerous close to revealing where every boy in this school wishes he could go.

"I'm sorry, you were saying something?" She questions with a smile, crossing her legs at the ankles.

"Ah... _so you are a tease_." He says to her, leaning closer to her and catching the scent of her perfume.

She was wearing Channel No 5, not Love's Baby Soft, or some other craptastic teeny bobber scent…..._okay he'd have to give her points for that_.

"It's hot outside. And besides, tanned legs are very sexy, don't you think so, Greg?" She asks him innocently.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out she's toying with him, testing him to see if he's one of those boys who can be had by her with just a smile and the faint promise of something more.

"So exactly how many guys fall this game of yours?" He questions.

"Probably the same amount as the girls you have swooning at your feet with your bad boy persona." She counters.

_Clever girl,_ he thinks before trying to unnerve her once more.

"Still a virgin?" He asks.

"Would I be less interesting to you if I was?" She questions back to him, her eyes watching him closely.

He studies her just as closely. "No, but I wouldn't have to work as hard if you weren't."

Again she smiles at him, confidently, proudly…. as if she has a secret that only she knows about.

"Life must be very hard when you're a military brat, bouncing around from school to school." she says knowingly, leaning back from him a bit.

"Very good observation, considering the base is only twenty minutes from here."

"Looking for another notch in your bedpost?" she asks, diverting the conversation back to its original premise.

"Looking for another boy to lead around by the nose?" He counters.

She laughs at his words, a full-bodied laugh that lets him know his latest attempt to knock her off-balance hasn't even left the slightest chink in her armor, an unexpected spark of excitement riding up from his groin and into his brain.

Below them the bell announces that lunch has ended.

"I'll see you later Greg." She says, resting her hand on his shoulder as she gets up, the contact between them, along with the sudden breeze that plays with the hem of her skirt, leaving him breathless for a moment.

"Call me House." He yells at her as she starts back down the hill.

"Okay _House,_ it was nice talking to you….I think." She replies before she turns away from him, heading towards her blanket where another boy is waiting for her.

Watching her go, House is almost certain that Lisa Cuddy is not a virgin; however he's equally as just as certain that she's also not the type of girl to screw the entire football team, the way she had handled herself just now, the way she had shamelessly flirted with him while playing along with his insults meant to unnerve her, something neither a wide-eyed virgin or promiscuous girl, trying to find love through casual sex could have ever accomplished.

With his eyes never leaving her, he watches as she slips on one shoe, and then the other, the damn enticing hem of her skirt teasing him even at this distance as she folds up her blanket, his eyes connecting with hers once more as she glances up the hill at him just before she hands the blanket over to the boy who is standing beside her. The kid is built like a Mack truck, the fact that the boy has the youthful face of Opie with fire engine red hair and freckles, still not enough for anyone to doubt he could snap them in half like a twig.

##############################################################

"Detention?" House asks as Lisa Cuddy, jumping off the retaining wall by the entrance to the high school just as she passes by him, nearly an hour later than their other classmates.

He can tell his presence has startled her, but he hopes that she doesn't get the impression that he's some kind of creep. A bit different from the rest of the guy's here he'd admit, but definitely not a weirdo who's into stalking her, at least he hopes she sees it that way.

"I guess that's a better pick up line than the one you used earlier today." She teases, not breaking her stride as she walks over to her car.

He lets out a sigh, following her.

"You must really think that what you've got between your legs is the Holy Grail or something."

He readies himself for smack across the face as they stand side by side at her car. The vulgar response he's chosen, a dangerous leap forward in the game they had been playing earlier.

"More like the Menorah since I'm Jewish. And I don't think that, I just know what military brats like you have on their mind when they come to a new school and see a pretty girl." She tells him, shoving her book bag into his chest.

On reflex, his hands hold onto the backpack, and he watches her as she proceeds to fish out her car keys.

"You do know not all military brats are male...right? And exactly how many of them have tried to get into your pants?" He asks with interest.

"More than I care to remember, including one very butch girl who could beat up half of the football team." She replies, her eyes currently focused on her keys as she plucks out the one that belongs to the mustang.

"Any of them succeed?"

"Sorry to inform you, but no. So I suggest that you move on to easier prey. In fact, there are a few cheerleaders here who I'm sure could give you what you're looking for. However... if you need something else, like beer, or a fake ID, I'd be more than happy to help you out, that is of course for a small fee or favor." She tells him frankly and with her hand on her hip before taking the book bag from him and turning away to place her key inside of the driver's side door.

He's stunned for a moment, his mind racing over her words, over the way she handled herself, the fire in her eyes, her …..well, just how fucking _amazing _she had been just now.

"Nice ride, I bet daddy had to work a lot of long, hard hours to get his little Jewish princess the car she wanted." He says over her shoulder.

She bites back her grin, even though there's no way he could possible see her with her back turned to him like this. He's trying to make her angry and she can't help but be amused over how transparent his attraction to her truly is.

"What do you want House?" She questions, her back still turned to him as she opens up the driver's side door, throwing her school bag onto the passenger seat.

"Would you believe me if I said I was just trying to be your friend?" He questions, watching her carefully as she turns to face him again.

"Look, I know you're new here, but in case you haven't noticed, I have more than enough friends. However thanks for the offer." She tells him smartly.

She watches as he steps closer to her and prepares herself mentally to knee him square in the balls in case he's one of those guys who doesn't take no for an answer.

"You have people who admire you, and those who wish like hell they could be you, and yes there are guys as well as girls for that matter who _do_ want to get into your pants, but you have no _real friends here and we both know it_." He challenges to her.

"So?" She says with a shrug of her shoulders.

Her response shocks the hell out of him for the second time.

He was so _sure_ he had her where he wanted her, _sure_ his choice of words would lead to one of two things, either her denying his observations and heading home in tears, or with her getting so angry at him that she'd ending up kicking him in the balls.

"Wait…what the hell?" He finds himself saying out loud as she turns away from him again, this time getting into her car without hesitation.

"Goodbye, House." She tells him, leaving him with a confused look on his face as she revs up the engine of her mustang, squealing the tires of the vehicle as she exits out of the parking lot and turns onto the highway.

_She just contradicted herself,_ House thinks to himself.

_She just…_

_She just beat you at your own game and left you flat on your ass buddy,_ he finally realizes with a grin.

##############################################################

"You've got to be kidding me." Lisa mutters to herself as the steady hum of a motorcycle draws closer to her.

Even with his helmet, she can see in her rear view mirror that Greg House is following her, his black dress pants and Pink Floyd t-shirt a dead give-away as he draws closer to her in the passing lane.

She should gun the engine and leave him in the dust, but …..there's something about him that prevents her from doing so. Something about the way he's talked to her, about how he had so easily seen through her façade regarding her relationships at school. Something about _him _that told her he was not the standard issue military brat she was used to dealing with.

She had no doubt the he was smart, considering all of the advanced classes he was in, but there was also an edge to him, something dangerous and untamed, and something that went beyond the bad boy imaged he so proudly displayed, the prospect of finding out who Greg House actually was, a very tempting endeavor.

Easing off the gas, she waits for him to catch up to her.

"Pull over!" He yells at her with the wind in his face.

She does as he asks, curious to see what he has to say.

He guides the motorcycle off the road, parking it in front of her car.

Removing his helmet he maintains a grip on it with his right hand, walking back to where she remains seated inside of her vehicle, the engine still running.

"I need a fake ID." He tells her with a sly grin.

She smiles up at him, and so this game between them continues.

"I'll have it to you by Friday, just come and see me at lunch tomorrow and bring a recent photo of yourself."

"So what do you want in return?" He asks, glancing down at her full breasts that are tucked nicely into a white bra.

"I haven't made up my mind yet." She answers, her gray eyes waiting for his blue eyes to return after they've traveled to the place where he' surely longs for his hands and mouth to be.

Her smile is killing him, the delicate corners of her mouth showing delight and excitement at their exchanges to one another just now. He need to find out why she's okay with not having any friends, with not having the types of relationships every other kid their age dreams about of having during the treacherous of high school. He wants to find out how she's become such a vital part of a high school culture she could obviously care less about. He has so many things he wants to know about her…so many things.

"Wanna go and get a burger?" He asks, kicking himself mentally over how stupid he sounds right now.

"Maybe some other time. I need to be somewhere right now." She responds.

"Okay." He replies, not knowing what else to say, walking back to his bike with his helmet in hand and wondering what she really thinks of him, wondering if she's as interested in him as he is in her.

Once he's back on his motorcycle, he motions for her to pull out first, watching as the red mustang springs back to life under her command, the girl behind the wheel as dangerous and wild as her ride and with underlying power about her that has him willing to chase after her, something he had never done with any other girl before, just to be near her, just to feel the rush that has started to course through his veins at the very thought of her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Not bad." House says, eyeing the fake ID Lisa has just handed overt to him.

They are standing in the back of the school during their lunch period, the two of them talking underneath the old oak tree House has now claimed as his own personal space.

"I'm sure it's a much better job than the one you already have." She says, watching him pause for a moment as he reaches for his wallet tucked inside his back pocket.

"What makes you think I already have a fake ID?" He asks innocently.

"You really think I was born yesterday, House?" She counters, quickly snagging his wallet from him so she can confirm her suspicions.

"Hey! Give it back." He warns, grabbing her wrist.

She's not about to grant his request and twists her body away from him, the two of them laughing as they stubbornly wrestle with one another.

"Give it!"

"No!"

"Come on Cuddy!"

"Oooooh you called me_ Cuddy? _You must really be mad!" She says, laughing as she fights to maintain her hold on the wallet.

"Alright I've got you. Now give it up." House tells her with a triumphant grin, finally able to gain the upper hand as her traps her body between him and the tree located behind them.

His left arm is wrapped around her waist, his right hand, pinning her wrist above her head, her fingers wrapped tightly around the wallet.

"You didn't say the magic word." She teases to him in a whisper, her heart racing because of the physical exertion between them.

"_Please_." He tells her sweetly, his right hand releasing her wrist in an instant and lowering to her hip, pulling her closer to him and holding her there, instead of going for the wallet.

" I didn't mean that." She manages to say, her heart now racing for a different reason.

"My mistake." He counters, while noticing she's in no big hurry to remove his hand from where his fingers have wrapped around her hip.

"Lisa, are you okay?" A male voice says with great concern.

The intrusion on the intimate moment startles them both and they take a step back from one another.

"I'm fine Tom, we were just joking around." She assures the linebacker, who has walked up the hill to find her.

Tom studies House closely for a minute before addressing her once more.

"Lisa, can I talk to you for a minute?" He asks.

"Sure." Lisa says with a smile, before looking back a House.

"I'll be back in a minute…okay?" She says, tossing his wallet over to him before walking down the hill with Tom.

House watches the pair, seeing that although Lisa doesn't seem interested in the goon, the guy with a face like Opie and a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger is most certainly interested in her, the way his eyes focus on her when she's speaking to him, the way she can get the Neanderthal to blush - just by slapping his arm when he tells her something amusing, causing him to grit his teeth.

House's jealously surprises him, considering he's only known Lisa for a short time, but he justifies the emotion by the fact that she's is not the typical high school girl he's been used to dealing with, a thought that scares him as much as it excites him.

"Earth to House." Lisa says, returning to him and finding him lost in thought.

"Huh?"

"Listen, there's a party this Saturday. Wanna go with me?" She asks.

"As your date?" He questions, searching her face.

"I was thinking maybe you could be my DD." She tells him with a grin.

"Why in the hell would I want to do that?"

"Because I got you a fake ID and you owe me a favor."

"I'm not carting your ass around to some party just because you got me a crappy ID! I didn't even need to have." He argues.

"A crappy ID that you didn't need, but still felt the urge to flag me down on your motorcycle to get?" She reminds him.

She's cornered him again, and if he continues to resist, he's pretty much admitted to her how desperate he's been in perusing her.

"Fine." He agrees with a huff.

"Good, now give me your address so I know where to pick you up." She says with a smile.

###############################################################

House had checked himself out in the mirror at least half a dozen times as he waited for Lisa to pick him up.

He was wearing jeans, a Rolling Stones T-shirt and a pair of black sneakers, his hair looked like he just rolled out of bed and he decided not to shave this morning, opting for the _'I don't care enough about you to clean up' _look in order to balance out the nervousness he was feeling.

Letting out a sigh, he glanced down at his watch, it was exactly 9:05pm, and she was late.

As if on cue, he heard a car door slam, a pair of footsteps soon heard on the steps that lead up to the second floor of the detached two car garage, situated behind the two story Tudor shape house.

He waited a few seconds after she knocked before he answered the door.

"Ready?" She asked, her first glance at him, making her smile.

He looked, well..._dangerous_, the five o'clock shadow on his face and his messy hair, so strikingly different from the way he usually looked at school.

"Wanna come in while I grab my jacket?" He offered stepping back from the door.

She looked beautiful tonight, her long hair spilling over her shoulders in soft, loose curls, a tight, red v-neck sweater hugging the curves of her breasts and an equally tight pair of blue jeans nearly causing him to drool.

"Sure." She said, stepping inside the loft.

He closed the door behind her, moving past her and through the living room and towards his bed, where his jacket was resting.

Her eyes scanned the loft having all the features of a modest one bedroom apartment, the open design of the bedroom/livening room combination was shared by a small kitchen, and to the right of the bedroom there was a door where she assumed the bathroom was located. On the walls were posters of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and one of Albert Einstein, with his tongue sticking out, next to couch was a tall bookcase filled to the rim with literature, on opposite sides of the bookcase were an acoustic and electric guitar, each of them resting on stands.

"So your parents don't mind that you stay up here all by yourself?" She asks him, walking over to the bookcase as he put on his leather coat.

"Considering that me living above the garage leads to less fights with my father, they seem to like it quite well." He tells her matter-of-factly.

She nods, not thinking all that much of his statement as practically every kid their age is fighting with their parents at one point or another, her fingertips running over the spines of his books, her eyes reading the titles. There are books by Albert Einstein and several science fiction pieces as well, her fingertips stopping on one particular book with a curious smile coming over her face.

"The Joy of Sex, huh?" She asks as she pulls the book free from the shelf.

"Have you read it?" He questions, waiting for her to blush over his statement as he takes a step closer to her.

"I've skimmed through it." She tells him casually, holding the book in her hand and watching his eyes widen a bit, a smirk now pushing up the corners of his mouth.

_She's sure he doesn't believe her, even thought it's true that she has studied the book, and with great interest._

"So have you gotten a chance to test out all that you learned?" He asks her, taking the book from her and feeling the heat between them building.

"Wouldn't you love to know." She replies, watching him place the book back onto the shelf, his right now resting on the bookcase as he closes the space between them.

"Actually I was thinking of offering to be your lab rat, in case you know...you needed to make sure all those things they show in that book are in fact doable." He tells her, continuing to study her to see if she is in fact bluffing about reading such an explicit book when the minds of most girls her age are filled with the delusions sex scenes written in crappy romance novels or cringe-worthy films like the Blue Lagoon.

"Nice try, but comparing yourself to a lab rat really doesn't turn me on." She responds, patting his chest with her left hand. "Now let's get going."

He follows her to the door, ever more intrigued by her and even more determined to find out what Lisa Cuddy is all about.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

By the time Lisa and House arrived at the enormous house at the end of a long driveway and in the well to do side of town, the party was in full force, the music inside the home creating a hypnotic thud on the outside which could be heard as they made their approach on foot.

"Smart move parking your car a few blocks away, this place is a ticking time bomb for the cops to bust up." House says as Lisa opens the door to the place, the music immediately rushing out to greet them.

_Relax don't do it_  
_When you want to go to it_

_Relax don't do it_  
_When you want to come_

_Relax don't do it_  
_When you want to come_  
_When you want to come_

"Lisa!" A bubbly blonde cries out as she enters through the front door with House.

"Hi Becca." Lisa replies, accepting a hug from the girl.

'You _have_ to _have_ Jason make you one of these!" Becca says as she waves a plastic cup in front of her.

"Okay." Lisa says, already looking past the girl and into the crowed foyer.

House looks over at the wasted girl after feeling her staring at him intensely.

"Hi, I'm Becca. You're the new kid, aren't you?" The girl asks, shoving her hand forward.

"Fresh out of the box." House responds, leaving her hand to dangle in midair.

The girl busts up laughing, as if House has told her the most hilarious joke ever.

"He's funny _and cute_." Becca remarks over to Lisa as if House is not even there.

"Come on." Lisa says, taking House by the hand and ignoring the drunk girl as they pass by her and walk towards the living room where the loud music is playing.

The move by her catches him off guard, his heart beating fast, his fingers interlaced with hers before he knows what's happening as she guides him around the couples making out in the hallways.

Holding hands is something he never was a fan of, nor was having someone else leading him around, but with her it was different, the gentle squeeze she gave his hand when they finally reached the livingroom, releasing a spark of electricity inside of him.

"Lisa Cuddy!" Tom Adams shouts above the music, already in a boisterous mood, thanks to the six or so beers he's drank thus far.

Before House knows it, Tom pulls Lisa away from him, lifting her up in his arms.

"You are the Queen, Party Pants!" The boy shouts as the kids around him cheer for the girl who snagged the keg that is fueling this party.

"Tom...put me down" Lisa tells him softly, a bit surprised by his behavior as Tom is usually the quite type, even when he's been drinking.

"Sorry." Tom apologizes, quickly placing her back on her feet, his gaze focusing immediately on House who is standing behind her.

"You come here with her?" He asks directly.

"Yeah." House answers, readying himself for a confrontation with the obviously drunk football player.

"He owed me a favor and I needed a DD." Lisa intervenes, stepping between both of them.

Tom nods, her explanation seeming to appease his concerns. "Just make sure you take care of her ...or I'll kick your ass." He advises, leaning closer to House as the music continues to play.

"Will do." House replies, not about to take on the nearly two hundred pounds of pure muscle staring him down.

"Lisa, good to see you could make it." Another boy says, brushing by House to get to her.

It's Jason, the high school quarter back, wearing his Letterman jacket, just like Tom is and having the kind of face that makes all the girls want him.

"You know I never miss a good party, Jason." She replies as the high school quarterback stands before her, the two of them smiling at one another.

"You want a drink?" Jason asks, already pulling a cup from the stack next to the keg.

###############################################################

For the next hour, House feels himself fading into the woodwork as Lisa attends to her hive. He watches silently at the guys fumbling to be next her, the girls giggling and laughing with her. From time to time she glances his way, giving him a brief smile before turning her attention back to whoever has cornered her at the moment. He also notices that although she always has a drink in her hand, she rarely sips from it, placing cup after cup down on an end table, or on the entertainment center, or anywhere else it's sure to be picked up by someone else.

She didn't come here to party, she came here to network, and he's beginning to question why she wanted him to come here with her in the first place.

With his back posted up against the wall of the living room, he continues to wonder if he has read too much into their time spent together thus far, especially their conversation a few short hours ago back at his place. Was Lisa Cuddy simply a tease? Or even more simply, a girl who needed the attention of everyone around her to feel important while skillfully manipulating them into believing that_ they_ in fact are the most important person in the room.

"Forget it man." Tom says to him, placing his large arm around House's shoulders as if the two are best buds now.

"Forget about what?" House questions, noticing the heavy-duty linebacker is now three sheets to the wind.

"Lisa Cuddy," Tom replies, tipping his plastic cup over to where she dancing across the room with another boy while a song by The Tubes is playing.

_Don't fall in love… if you do you'll find out she won't love you_

_She's one in a million girls, one in a million girls_

_Why would I lie? Why would I lie?_

"Why? Because you called dibs?" House questions, feeling a bit braver now that Tom is obviously on the verge of passing out during any given moment.

"No man, believe me I'd like to date her too, but she's not into guys like us."

House cringes at the comparison by the football player, but plays along. "Guys like us?"

"High school boys. Lisa only dates college guys, everyone knows that."

House smirks, thinking that Lisa probably gave Tom that line of bullshit when he tried to make a move on her.

"Oh yeah, says who?" He asks.

"'My brother Nick, he's a sophomore at Ohio State and him and Lisa dated for nearly two years up until a few months ago. He told me that she liked the idea of dating an older guy because guys like us are too immature."

"Then why'd they break up?" House asks, his eyes focused on Lisa as the boy she's dancing with moves his hands to her hips.

"My brother says the long distance relationship thing just didn't work for them. But I know he stills loves her because he made me promise to watch out for Lisa and make sure no one messes with her, and...I can tell Lisa's still hung up on my brother because she hasn't dated anyone since they split up.."

"Here, have beer." House replies, handing the warm beverage over to Tom.

"And you ...stay here and keep King Kong from falling down." He adds, grabbing the wrist of a random girl standing beside him and placing her under Tom's arm.

"Hey, thanks man!" Tom yells at him as House leaves the room.

#############################################################

Outside, the cool autumn air rushes over House's face as he sits down in one of the wicker patio chairs overlooking the in-ground pool, which has been closed up for the season, his mind rummaging over the information he's just heard from Tom Adams.

_So Lisa Cuddy had been in love and a serious relationship up until recently._

_First loves can be a bitch, that's one thing he knows from experience. And the only question he had left at this point was if she was still mending a broken heart as Tom had indicated, or perhaps looking for a rebound guy? _

_Either way he wasn't feeling too good about how things would go for him and Lisa from here, as his initial feelings of lust for the girl had turned into something more...something he hadn't felt since the day he got his heart stomped on by someone he trusted without question._

From behind him, he hears the back door of the house opening, a couple giggling in the threshold, his hands gripping the arms of the chair, muscles ready to boost him up so he can start the long walk home back to his place, the realization that he wants so much more for Lisa Cuddy after only knowing her for a few days, too much for him to deal with amid a sea of drunken classmates.

"Thanks Gary." A female voice says.

At hearing Lisa's voice, House's body becomes stiff in the chair, his ears straining to listen, to see what else she has to say to the latest boy chasing after her.

"Jeez it's cold out here! Want me to stay out with you and keep you warm?" The boy suggested.

"I'm fine, besides I'm looking for someone." Lisa responds.

The boy takes the hint and says his goodbye, heading back into the house.

"Out here all by your lonesome?" Lisa asks sweetly, walking up behind House and wearing the Letterman jacket Tom had offered to her just before she headed outside.

"Needed some fresh air." House replies flatly.

"What's wrong? Are you drunk?" She asks, touching his shoulder.

He gets up from the chair, turning to face her. "I'm not drunk, just bored."

"You want to get out of here?" She offers.

He hates the way the moonlight illuminates her face, revealing to him just how beautiful she really is.

"You can stay." He tells her.

"Did I do something wrong?"

He knows he shouldn't be acting this way, he knows he shouldn't even care about _her;_ they've only known each other for a few days for Christ's sake and…..

"It just seems like your dance card is already full." He says without thinking, feeling like a complete moron.

"My dance card?" She asks him with a smirk.

"It's an old expression... it means-"

"I know what it means, House." she tells him softly, taking a step closer to him, "but lucky for you there's only the two of us out here right now, and I'm tired of waiting around for you to ask me to dance.' She adds, offering her hand to him.

"I didn't actually mean dancing."

"So you don't know how to dance?"

"I know how to dance."

"Then prove it."

"This music sucks." He protests just as the songs ends.

She listens for moment to the song floating out into the night air around them.

_Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick_  
_And think of you_  
_Caught up in circles confusion_  
_Is nothing new_  
_Flashback warm nights_  
_Almost left behind_  
_Suitcase of memories_  
_Time after_

"I like this one." She says.

"Take that thing off first." He tells her, motioning over to the Letterman's jacket she's wearing.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Fine." She agrees, annoyed but intrigued.

"There, are you satisfied?" She asks after removing the jacket and placing it on the chair beside them.

"Not yet. " He says, pulling off his leather coat.

"Here, put this on, it will keep you warmer than that piece of crap."

She smiles, the odd but sweet gesture striking a chord inside of her heart.

"There, satisfied?" She questions after taking the coat from him and slipping it on.

"Much better." He remarks, pulling her close to him and holding her the way _he_ wants to hold her, with his hands around her waist, her hands on his shoulders as they being to sway to the music.

_If you're lost you can look and you will find me  
Time after time  
If you fall I will catch you I'll be waiting  
Time after time_

"So how come you're not dating anyone?" He asks her, his heart already hardened for a blow that has yet to be delivered.

She gives him a peculiar look. "Because I like being single?"

"What about the college boy?"

She lets out a sigh, shaking her head. "Tom told you about his brother, Nick. Didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did, apparently the two of you were madly in love."

"Look...we broke up about six months ago because –" She starts to explain.

"Do you still love him?"

He waits for her answer, his hands still resting on her hips, his eyes never leaving her face, the two of them dancing slowly.

"I never did _love_ Nick, that's why we broke up."

His feet stop, his eyes locked on her.

"You dated a guy for nearly two years and you didn't love him?"

"I dated a guy for eighteen months and yes, I didn't love him."

"Then why date him in the first place?"

She takes a step back from him. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Why?"

"Because the last thing I want to do is talk about an old relationship with a guy I just met! Okay?"

_She was angry, wait no...not really angry, maybe …..frustrated was the word he was looking for_, House thought to himself as she stormed off.

"Cuddy, wait!" He said, chasing after her as she headed into the side yard.

"What?" She answered, spinning around to face him, her eyes wide, her cheeks flushed from the cold.

"You still have my jacket."

She gritted her teeth, tearing off the jacket and throwing it in his face before spinning around once more, heading past the house and onto the sidewalk.

"Would you just stop for second!" House shouts, grabbing hold of her arm.

"Why should I?" She challenges, pulling her arm free from his grip after he's turned her around to face him again.

"Because…" He started to say before he softens his tone, "because...since my brilliant plan of asking for my jacket back failed to make you laugh, I need to figure out another way to make you stay." He confesses.

"You're an asshole." She says, however the sheepish look in his eyes let her know her that he _was_ telling her the truth about his intentions.

"Listen, I'm sorry I acted like an ass, and if you let me hang out with you I promise to behave. Here I'll even let you wear my jacket." He offers to her, holding out the garment for her to wear once more, not really knowing what else to say to keep her from ditching him.

She looks at his face, then down at the jacket, then back up at his face.

"Quit calling me Cuddy." She mutters, grabbing the jacket and placing it on her body once more before starting to walk down the sidewalk.

"Done." He answers while keeping up beside her.

"So exactly where are we going?" he adds.

"To a place where no one will ever discover your body if you end up pissing me off again." She replies.

He stops for minute, a smile on his face, he knows without a doubt now that she likes him, as anyone else would have told him to fuck off at this point.

"Are you coming or not?" she yells over her shoulder at him.

"Quit walking so damn fast." He replies with a grin, catching up with her in no time flat.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After their initial discussion on the sidewalk, Lisa and House had remained silent as they walked back to her car, the radio the only noise between them as she drove them past the wealthy neighborhood and onto a winding road that lead them away from the city.

_Who's gonna tell you when  
It's too late?  
Who's gonna tell you things  
Aren't so great?_

_You can't go on  
Thinkin' nothing's wrong, ohh no  
Who's gonna drive you home  
Tonight?_

House glanced over at her from time to time, her foot and hand working the clutch and shifter in unison, the blacktop leading them up to the top of a tall mountain.

He wondered if he should speak, wondered if she was waiting for him to say something to her, but after studying the expression on her face, he realized that she was too busy having an internal conversation with herself in order to engage in one with him.

_Lisa was at a crossroads...her brow furrowed as her eyes stayed focused on the road, ,deciding if she should let him in, or….keep her secret to her herself, the secret of why she would date a boy for nearly two years without having the kind of emotional attachment one would think she would have_.

Looking back at the road as they neared the top of the hill, House's eyes widen as the forest surrounding them suddenly opens up, revealing a mansion as enormous and extravagant as the one he had once read about in the Great Gatsby.

"Don't tell me you live here?" He questions to her, his eyes scanning over the vast estate.

"I wish." She answers with a small laugh, taking a right onto a side road which leads to the back of the house.

After she had parked the car in the circular driveway behind the house, the both of them got out, with him following her up to a service door entrance, the darkness inside the place, telling him one of two things, either the people inside this home were fast asleep, or the place is empty. Either way he needs to know what he was getting himself into as she unzipped her purse, rummaging around inside of it.

"Are we breaking and entering?" He whispers over to her as she continues to fish for something inside of her bag, he only hopes it isn't a crow bar, as the giant purse slung over her shoulder looks like it most certainly could hold one.

"Don't worry; my Mom's a real estate agent and no one's lived here for over a year." She tells him, pulling out a large, hooped key ring which holds at least twenty or so keys upon it.

"And Mom doesn't mind if you going into empty houses in the middle of the night?"

She smiles at him after opening up the door. "Of course not." She teases before ushering him inside.

It takes a few minutes for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but thanks to the large windows inside the room, as well as the full moon shining down on the place, his view is not as obscured as he initially thought it would be.

The kitchen is just how he expected it would be, an ancient set up of industrial appliances and long ceramic countertops used for when servants cooked and prepared meals for their wealthy employers.

"Come on." She tells him, reaching for his hand and holding it in her own.

He follows along as she leads him out of the kitchen and past the formal dining room where a large mahogany table is located, with seating for twenty, the two of them continuing onto the living room filled with French furniture, a fireplace and a grand piano. Without a misstep, she continues her journey with him, out to the foyer and towards the spiral staircase that leads them up the second story and a seemingly endless hallway, the moonlight continuing to filter through the tall windows throughout the elaborate structure, giving the mansion an almost sacred feel, as if they are standing on holy ground.

At the top of the stairs, she takes a left, leading him to the end of the west hall and to where a large, double set of carved oak doors awaits them.

She lets go of his hand as she opens them, a slight groan of disapproval from the wood, echoing past them and scurrying down the hall, a king sized canopy bed, adorned with red velvet fabric and satin sheets now before them.

"Exactly what do you have in mind?" House asks with a grin, looking over at the huge bed.

"Not here dummy." Lisa says, rolling her eyes at him as she walks past the bed and to where a set of French doors are located on the opposite side of the room.

He watches her silhouette in the moonlight, the cool autumn air rushing towards him as she opens the doors, the light from a big, fat moon, surrounded by thousands of stars now coming into view and competing with the twinkling lights of the city stretched out beneath them in a endless rolling carpet of electricity.

"It's beautiful, don't you think?" She asks him as she walks out and onto the large, concrete balcony.

House nods, speechless for a moment over what she's shared with him, over how breathtaking beautiful she looks standing in front of the backdrop of city lights and an autumn moon..

"Come here often?" He asks, regaining his senses as he walks up to where she is standing.

"Just when I need some time alone to think." She tells him, looking down into her purse once more.

"So who used to live here and why on earth did they leave?" He asks, gazing out at the incredible view once more.

"The Clayton's, they come from old money and when Mr. Clayton passed away last year, Mrs. Clayton went to live with their only son. The son wants her to sell the place, but Mrs. Clayton says she'll only sell if she gets full market value for the place, which is currently set at five million bucks, including all the furnishings."

He looks over at her and his jaw drops.

"_Lisa Cuddy_, what would Nancy Regan say?" He questions with surprise as she pulls out a joint, as well as a lighter from her purse.

"Screw Nancy Regan." She mutters, holding the joint between her lips as she lights it.

He watches as she takes a long drag from the joint, delighted to see her wild streak runs a little deeper than he had previously suspected.

"Here." she says, holding the smoke in her lungs while passing the joint to him.

He takes the joint, inhaling deeply... before coughing his ass off.

"You _have_ smoked a joint before… right?" she asks, exhaling with an amused look upon her face.

"_Of course I have_. I just haven't smoked one in a while because my supplied dried up during the move." He tells her, taking another toke of the joint, this time holding the smoke in his lungs as he passes it back to her.

"Well, if you're interested, I know I guy who can get you some pretty good stuff." She tells him, taking another hit off the joint.

"I have no doubt you do." He says to her smartly, laughing as she wrinkles he nose at him while trying not to let the smoke escape from her lungs.

There's a moment of silence between them as she hands him the joint again and he takes another toke. The buzz they start to feel from the marijuana, making the view they are witnessing all the more brilliant, the moon seeming bigger and brighter, the city lights and the stars sparkling like diamonds.

"Have you ever wanted to fast forward your life?" She ask him suddenly, keeping her eyes focused on the landscape before them.

Her voice is suddenly so honest and so filled with vulnerability; he feels a lump rise in his throat.

"Come on, life here can't be _that bad_." He says softly, sincerely, hoping there hasn't been some tragic event in her life which caused her to make such a statement.

"It's not." She says, turning to face him.

"It's just…. for as long as I can remember, I always wanted to leave this place and start my own life. It's not like my parents are horrible and my sister isn't anymore a pain in the ass like any other sibling. It's just that ever since I've been twelve, I've known what I wanted to be ...and ever since then it's like I have an invisible rope around me, pulling me towards my future."

When he remains silent, she speaks again.

"I'm sorry; I know this is stupid, we don't even really know each other."

"It's not that." He says, softly, feeling something come over him that he can only describe as an ache that comes from deep down inside of him.

"It's just that well, being a military brat doesn't' really leave you with a lot of friends to confide in and virtually no one to talk to regarding what you want your life to be."

"Good thing you stumbled upon a nice Jewish girl who doesn't know when to keep her trap shut." She jokes over to him, the warmth of her buzz and the way he's tuned into her on a level beyond physical attraction, putting her more at ease.

He laughs at her joke. "So what do you want to be?"

"A doctor." She tells him with a smile.

"Really?"

"What did you think I'd say?"

"A lawyer, considering how much you love to argue"

"Not funny." She says.

"You have to admit it was a _little_ funny." He replies before rubbing his arms in an effort to fend off the cold that is sinking into his skin.

"Come on, let's go inside." She tells him, pinching off the coal of the half smoked joint before shoving it inside his leather jacket she's wearing.

As she enters back into the bedroom he closes the door behind them before turning and watching her as she walks over to the fireplace, reaching for the remote resting on the mantel and pressing a button that instantly brings the flames to life.

"You know, you never answered my question." She reminds him as they warm themselves in front of the fire.

"What question?" He asks, playing dumb.

"Have you ever wanted to fast forward your life and be someplace other than where you were at the moment?"

"I'm a military brat, being someplace else is kinda part of the package."

"You know what I mean. If you could do anything, be anything… what would it be?"

He waits a minute before answering her; no one beside his mother has ever asked him the question and the prospect of revealing his dream to her is a bit unnerving at first.

"You'll think it's strange."

"No I won't."

"You hardly even know me, so how can you say that?"

"Because I hardly even known you, and that means you could already be strange without me knowing it." She counters.

"Touché"

"Now spill it.

"A physicist."

He watches as she gives him a warm smile. "Alright, throw your best insult my way." He says, motioning his hands in her direction.

"You're amazing." She says softly, genuinely.

He's never wanted to kiss anyone more in his entire life, but opts for speaking instead.

"You're high."

"Just because I've _finally _met a guy who wants more out of life than to get to third base wiht me doesn't' mean that I'm high."

"I was actually hoping for home." He replies.

"Exactly how many times have you been home?" She asks.

"More than you'd like to know." He responds. "Speaking of which, did you and Nick get to play baseball much?"

"If you're asking if I had sex with Nick, the answer is yes."

"But you didn't love him."

"No."

"Then why have sex with him in the first -?" House starts to say, but then stops for minute.

"Did he force you?" He asks in a low whisper, realizing how little he really knows about this girl.

"No. I was the one who wanted to, Nick would have waited."

"You were curious then?"

"No, I was realistic."

"Realistic? I've never heard that one before. Horney, yes, drunk yes, turned on yes-"

"Shut up or I'm not talking about this anymore."

He closes his lips, turning an imaginary key and handing it over to her.

She looks at him for a moment before turning towards the bed, trying to come up with the right words to say as she sits down on the mattress.

He follows her lead, sitting down beside her.

"Do you know how many people end up with the person they dated in back high school? Slim to none. And most of the times if they do, the only reason is because the girl gets pregnant. I've been on the pill since I was fourteen, and I'm not about to end up emotionally invested in some stupid guy I won't even remember twenty years from now, so I decided to have sex with Nick to see what all the hype was about and to get some experience under my belt before I went off to college."

_She hoped he didn't think she was crazy, or a heartless bitch, or some kind of nymphomaniac_.

"The first time always sucks." House says to her instead.

"You got that right." She agrees with a smile while looking over at him.

_He hadn't judged her, that was HUGE in her mind, and in an instant she feels a weight lifting off her shoulders, one she didn't even know was there in the first place._

"But then after some practice, you start to get better." He adds.

"Well, some of us do, unfortunately Nick did not, which is why…"

"You read the Joy of Sex." He finishes with a grin, pleased with himself.

"That and a few other books." She confesses. "At first it was so awkward and uncomfortable I really started to question why anyone wanted to have sex in the first place, but since I was the one who wasn't getting off ….I had to take matters into my own hands."

"Literally?" He questions with a grin.

She lets out a sigh. "You're so lucky I'm high right now or I'd be punching you in the face."

"Well…do you? Take things into your own hands." He pushes, glancing donw at her lpa while blatantly flirting with her.

"Of course I masturbate, just like you."

"Well, not _just like me_."

Another sigh escapes her lips. "Okay Sherlock, obviously not _just like you_. But after reading up on some things I was able to help Nick get me where I needed to go."

"So you became as sex therapist at the ripe old age of fourteen? Please marry me." He jokes reaching for her hand.

"Sixteen, and screw you." She says, pulling her hand away and lying back on the bed.

"Actually that's kinda what I was hoping for." He whispers over to her before lying back on the bed as well, unable to keep from flirting with her...thanks to the buzz he's feeling and the way she's exposed herself to him in such a surprising way.

"Well I hate to inform you, but I've already made a promise to myself that I won't be having-"

"Sex anymore? You're just being stupid if you do that."

She gives him a stern look. "That I won't be having sex with anyone I have feelings for until I go to college."

"I was right, your _are_ stupid." He says, sitting up.

"Why? Because I know what I want and how to get it without becoming emotionally involved?" She challenges.

"You have feelings for me." He suddenly realizes, lying back on the bed with a foolish grin.

"What?"

"You have feelings for me, you just said it yourself, you won't' have sex with me because-"

"Because we've just met."

"No way, if you didn't like me, we'd be screwing right now instead of talking."

She raises her eyes to the ceiling.

"Okay fine, I like you, " She admits, " but like I said, there's no future for you here, so you need to find someone else to screw."

"_Or_ I need to convince you to screw me." He counters.

"House, it's not going to happen."

"We'll see." He says wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"You're impossible." She says before suddenly raising her arm and looking down at her watch.

"Shit! What time do you need to be home?"

"Whenever I feel like it. How bout you?"

"I don't. My parents think I'm staying over at Becca's."

"So, you're staying here?" He says pointing to the bed.

"Yep."

"Can I…"

"No."

"Oh come on, this bed is more than big enough for both of us." He whines, not wanting to be away from her ...even a second, finding himself needing to be near her more and more as each second passes.

"Promise me you won't try anything." She tells him, actually liking the idea of having someone stay here with her, as most nights up here she's been too worried about some random rapist breaking in to get any kind of real sleep.

"I promise."

"And that you'll keep your clothes on?"

"Done."

"And that you won't try anything funny."

"Like this?" He says, before taking his fingers and stretching the corners of his mouth while sticking out his tongue.

She can't help but laugh at him.

"Fine, you can stay…. but you should know, I sleep with a can of mace underneath my pillow."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone! Well, I've got a busy weekend ahead of me, so I'm not sure when I'll get to post the next chapter. **

**Hopefully this one will tide you over until then. **

**Thanks for all the great reviews of the story thus far! I was a little nervous posting a young Huddy fic, even though the story will EVENTUALLY follow them up until the present day, but you guys have been great! **

**Chapter 6**

"Thanks for spending the night with me." Lisa says to House.

They were back at his place, standing beside her car, parked in front of the two stall garage.

"Thanks for not spraying me with Mace." House responds, deciding now is as good a time as any to at least give her hug, even though he'd prefer a kiss.

She holds her breath for a moment as he wraps his arms around her, the feel of his body against hers, causing the same reaction as it did the other day behind the school.

"I'll see you on Monday." She whispers into his ear.

"Yeah, sure." He replies.

She eases out of their embrace and walks around the front of car.

_Monday, not later today…..or tonight_, he thinks, a bit disappointed that she doesn't want to spend time more time with him after the night they had shared together.

"Bye House." She says after getting inside and starting the engine.

"See ya, Lisa." He answers.

"Call me Cuddy." She says in return, flashing him a brilliant smile before she revs the engine and drives away.

"See ya, Cuddy." House whispers with smile of his own as the car turns the corner.

"Just what in the _hell _do you think you're doing?"

House feels the hand grabbing hold of the back of his arm and spinning him around so he comes face to face with his Father.

"Last time I checked I was standing." He replies.

"Always with the smart remarks huh?" His Dad says, letting go of him.

"Would you prefer a dumb one?" House shoots back.

He watches as his father clenches his jaw, stepping closer to him.

"I warned you when we moved here that you better straighten up your act and quit screwing around. But I see you're right back at. Staying out all night and most likely ruining that girl's reputation. Well you listen to me mister, just because you'll be eighteen in a few months, don't think that will stop me from sending your sorry ass to military school. You understand me?"

"Yes sir." House replies, his eyes lacking any sort of emotion, his brain already tuning his father out as the man stands before him, berating him.

"And another thing….."

"Shit." Lisa says under her breath, turning the mustang around after she realizes she had forgotten to give House his jacket, spying it lying just now in the back seat of her car when she had reached back there for her purse while at a stop sign.

Turning the corner to where the Tudor style home is located, she slows down as she nears the garage, her face filled with shock as she sees House and an older man …who she can only assume is her father, standing toe to toe inside the driveway.

The man is yelling at House and pointing his finger in his face while House looks as if he's in some kind of trance, that is until House catches a glimpse of her car from the corner of his eye.

"Are you done?" House suddenly asks his father in the middle of the man's rant.

"Don't you take that tone with me!" His father warns grabbing him by the shirt.

For the first time in his life, House reacts to the abuse, shoving his Father away.

_"Fuck you." _House says before walking away from his father.

"Are you okay?" Cuddy asks him as he enters into the passenger seat of her car.

"Just drive." House tells her.

"Get back here, Greg." He father warns as he starts walking over to the car.

"Drive!" House yells over at Cuddy, putting the car into first gear.

Foot on the gas, Cuddy leaves the angry man behind with the squeal of her tires, her heart racing, her mind reeling over what she has just seen. She glances over at House, his face hardened with anger.

"Where do you want to go?" She asks.

"Anywhere but back there." He tells her.

###################################################

Twenty minutes later they are inside a diner, their breakfast untouched before them.

"Has your Dad always been that way?" Cuddy finally gets up the courage to ask him.

"He was a lot worse when I was younger." House replies, picking up his fork and breaking the yolks of his eggs while avoiding eye contact with her.

"I'm sorry." She tells him, thinking of how differently her parents had raised her, how they had never so much had laid a finger on her, but did enforce the rules when necessary, taking away her favorite game, or grounding her, but never physically touching her in anyway that would harm her.

"No need to be sorry, at the end of August I'll turn eighteen and he'll never be able to tell me what to do again." House replies, still looking down at his plate.

She reaches for his hand and feels her heart break a bit when he tries to pull it free from her grasp, but she holds strong, refusing to let him go.

"I don't need your pity, Cuddy." He says, this time looking directly at her.

"Good because I'm not giving it to you. I'm just trying to be a friend."

He lets out a short, sarcastic laugh.

"The _last_ thing I want is for you to be friend." He tells her coldly, however his hand still remains in hers in spite of his words.

"Well too bad because you're not getting rid of me that easily. Especially not after last night, you owe me."

"What in the hell could I possible owe you?" He asks.

"I confided in you about having sex with Nick, you owe me."

"That's nowhere near the same as talking about my Dad."

She looks at him for a amount, saying nothing, just sitting there, continuing to hold his hand as their breakfast grows cold, waiting until he realizes what she doing, or at least what she's trying to do for him.

She's giving him an out, a reason to spill his guts to her without feeling ashamed, or less of man, as he teeters on the edge of eighteen.

"Fine, I owe you then." He responds, removing his hand from hers as he flags down the waitress to get them each a fresh cup of coffee.

###############################################################

When the waitress had come back to their table with coffee pot in hand, she asked if there was something wrong with their food. They told her they suddenly didn't feel hungry and after looking at them both for a few seconds she speaks.

"I know a hangover when I see one, forget about paying for this." She said, placing the pot of coffee on their table before scooping the plates up and balancing them on one arm.

"I'll get you both some toast." The waitress adds before walking away.

"Funny how some people think they know it all." House mutters under his breath, turning up the two extra cups at their table and filling them both.

"Cream, sugar?" He ask Cuddy as she watches him.

"Yes, please." She says, touched that even though he's the one in turmoil House is thoughtful enough to serve her.

"Here." He says, offering her one of the cups.

"Thanks." She replies.

"So you want to know about my dear old Dad. Let's see, where do I start..." He begins, taking a sip of his coffee.

It's strong, black with no sugar, but it's just what he needs right now.

"Well I could tell you about the time when I was five and he gave me my first ice bath for coloring on the walls. Or, when I was nine and he made me camp out by myself in a tent in the back yard and in the middle of March because I came home late from school."

"That's awful." Cuddy whispers over to him, her hands wrapped around her mug, but as of yet, she has yet to drink from the cup.

He nods over to her, "Better take a sip before it gets cold."

She nods, knowing this isn't going to be an easy conversation for him, and if little breaks are needed, she's more than happy to comply.

"Anyway, he's never actually hit me, just did some fucked up things to me when I misbehaved as his way of _turning me into a man_."

"What did your Mom do?" She asked him, thinking of her own mother and how she would have bashed her father over the head with a frying pan if he had tried any of that shit with her.

"The old man is smart, an abusive psycho, but smart. He'd wait until she was out-of-town, tending to my sick grandmother, or having a night out with the other wives on base before he did the really brutal stuff. "

"And you never told her?"

"My Dad threatened me early on and said if I had just obeyed the rules, he wouldn't have to do these things to me, _and_ if I did tell my mom, I would only end up hurting her while driving home the fact that without him, me and my Mom would be poor and out on the streets in not time."

"Does he still do those kinds of things to you?" She asked, wanting so badly to hold his hand again, but knowing right now she needed to keep her distance so he wouldn't feel smothered, or any more vulnerable than he already was.

House shook his head no. "Not since I was thirteen and I grabbed the hose out of his hands when he tried to make me do push ups while he shot me in the face with water, all because I told off one of my teachers. He tried to wrestle the hose back from me, but when he saw how strong I had become, he let go. Now, he just yells at me, telling me what a piece of shit I am, but of course it's more toned down when my mom is around.."

"You're not a piece of shit."

He words make him laugh. "Good to know."

She shakes her head. "You know what I mean. You're smart and funny and the most interesting person I've ever met in my life."

"I'm not sure how to take that coming from a sixteen year old." He says back to her, even though he is in fact flattered she sees all of those good things in him.

"You're only a year older than me. And I'd think having a girl who's actually interested in more than how many times you can look as her ass when you think she's not looking would be something you'd appreciate."

He smiles at her, a full-fledged smile that causes a flutter inside of her stomach.

"So you noticed?" He asks.

"How could I not, you always get this dopey grin on your face when you're checking me out." She teases.

###############################################################

They had sat at the diner for nearly two hours, talking, drinking coffee and eventually ordering breakfast…again, much to the dismay of their waitress.

House had spilled a few more secrets to Cuddy about his father's abusive behavior, until she saw the strain it was putting upon him and turned the conversation in a new direction. Asking him where he wanted to go to college, and who his inspirations where ...beside the obvious Albert Einstein.

They had also talked about music, finding out they had very similar tastes, from today hits to the songs their parents had listened and beyond. He was surprised she knew who Louie Armstrong was, not just his name, but his music, and he felt his heart pound inside of his chest when he told her he wanted her to come over to his place sometime to listen to some jazz and blues records...and she said yes..with a smile.

As it reached ten am, he told her they should go, she however, didn't think it was a good idea.

#########################################################################

"You don't have to go. We could go somewhere else." Cuddy tells him as they sit in her car, parked beside the two stall garage once more.

"I'll be okay, besides... sooner or later I'm sure Mama Cuddy will be wondering where her little girl is." He tells her with a grin.

"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow, but call me if you need anything."

"I will." He says, looking into her eyes before he leans towards her, kissing her.

"House…don't." She protests, breaking away from the kiss.

"Why not?" He asks, their faces remaining close, his hand still resting on her hip where he had placed it just seconds before.

"Because we only have a few months together at best, and what we have now means more to me than simply being your girlfriend."

He looks at her, seeing the apprehension on her face. For a girl of sixteen, she's wise beyond her years and unlike any other girl...or woman for that matter that he's met before.

"Okay." He says, before reaching for the handle on the passenger side and getting out of the vehicle.

##############################################################

Walking into the loft, House finds his dad waiting for him, seated at the kitchen table.

"I've made a decision." His father says to him.

House remains standing, the distance between them needed at this time as he feels the sudden urge to punch the son-of-a-bitch in the face.

His father doesn't wait for him to respond before speaking again.

"After talking things over with your Mother, I've decided that since you have less than six months under my roof, I'm going to leave you alone."

House lets out a silent breath of relief, however his posture stiffens as his father gets up, heading towards him until they are face to face.

"However, I want you to know if you end up getting kicked out of school, or knocking up that girl I saw you with earlier, you're on your own. Got it?" His dad informs him.

House nods, not ever willing to tell the man 'yes sir' again.

"Good." His father mutters, before reaching for the doorknob and exiting the loft.

House locks the door after his dad leaves, shoving his hands into his pockets of his jacket as the contrasting feelings of anger over his father and his growing desire for Lisa Cuddy wage war on one another. Immediately he feels the half-smoked joint on the fingertips of his right hand.

He takes the joint out, studying it for a moment, the faint trace of red lip gloss on the end of it.

She's won the war.

Walking over to his stereo, he sorts through a stack of records before selecting one, removing it from its sleeve and placing it on the turntable, grabbing his head phones and covering his ears before he drops the needle on the record.

He feels around inside the top dresser door in front him, past his socks, and past the condoms he's placed their until he finds the lighter.

As Louie Armstrong begins to play the trumpet he lights up the joint, taking a good, long toke just as the man begins to sing….

_Hold me close and hold me fast_  
_The magic spell you cast_  
_This is la vie en rose_

_When you kiss me heaven sighs_  
_And tho I close my eyes_  
_I see la vie en rose_

He lays back on his bed, a smile on his face as he closes his eyes, the joint resting between his index finger and thumb.

_When you press me to your heart_  
_I'm in a world apart_  
_A world where roses bloom_

Lisa Cuddy, thinks he's smart, and funny, and interesting….and didn't she say _amazing _last night? He likes the way she looks at him, the way she smiles at him, the way she had held his hand, not once but _twice_. He understands why she's afraid and he's a little afraid too, but not because things might get ruined between them, the fact is he's even more afraid that if he doesn't convince her that they are so much better off being so much more than friends, he may never feel this way again, and what he's feeling at the moment is pretty fucking amazing.

_And when you speak...angels sing from above  
Everyday words seem...to turn into love songs_

_Give your heart and soul to me_  
_And life will always be_  
_La vie en rose_

##########################################################################################

Lisa Cuddy was in her bedroom, with the lights turned off and the early afternoon sun shining through her curtains. She was lying on her mattress, staring up at the ceiling, her fingertips tracing over her lips, her mind gently taking her back to the moment House has kissed her.

It hadn't been a peck, or a full on french kiss, but none the less it had shaken her to the core. He had pressed his lips against hers and lingered, she had kissed him back, lips parted every so slightly.

She drops her hand to her side, her eyes opening. She _did not want this,_ correction she didn't _need this_. Not him, or his stupid blue eyes or his smile. Not his intellect or his biting sense of humor. She was doing just fine, in fact she was doing more than fine, she was doing GREAT, she had everyone at school in the palm of her hand, including her teachers, she had signed up for the accelerated classes, joined all the clubs she needed as she started to lay the foundation for her future journey into college. And then he came along, drawing out the sort of feelings in her she had made a committed to keep in hibernation, until later, until she was out of this town for good.

It was a recipe for disaster, and she knew it. All of her plans, threaten by a boy who could have her so mad one minute and longing to kiss him the next minute.

"Lisa...phone!" Her mother yells up the stairs to her.

She gets out of the bed, leaving her room and walking down the steps to where her mother is waiting with the receiver in her hand.

"Thanks, Mom." she says with a smile, waiting until her mother is gone to place her ear up to the phone.

"Hello, she says?"

"Lisa, it's Jason."


	7. Chapter 7

It's been a very crazy weekend; however I managed to work on this next chapter for a little bit anyway. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for the reviews :)

**Chapter 7**

That Monday back in school, House noticed a difference in the way Cuddy was interacting with him, the flirting and banter between them, suddenly turned down to just below a simmer by her.

"So what gives? Did the two of us kissing really freak you out that much?" He finally asks her as they sit together underneath the oak tree behind the school.

"No, I just think we shouldn't be ….well… as physically open with one another."

He looks at her as if she's nuts.

"We haven't even cracked a window open in that department."

"Fine then, let's put it this way, flirting leads to ideas and ideas lead to touching…"

"_Oh god, you sound like my Mother_." He groans lying back on the blanket.

"House, I told you before I like being with you, but …"

"There are no buts here, except yours….. which is looking _incredible _by the way."

She gives him a frown, staring down at him as he smiles up at her.

"This isn't going to happen." She tells him.

"Why not?"

"Because in eight months you'll be graduating and heading off to college."

"So what does that have to do with anything?"

"So why would I want to start dating someone whose going to end up leaving anyway? It's better if we just remain friends." She argues.

He sits up, staring at her intently. "Who says me going to college would end anything between us?"

She gets up and leaves; he lets out a huff and follows her.

"Cuddy-"

She turns around just as he reaches her. "House, we both know how these scenarios go, boy goes to college and leaves his high school girlfriend behind. They both promise things won't change but they do, and eventually... either one of them ends up breaking things off, or... one of them ends up cheating."

"I'm not like Nick." House says, starting to get pissed off that's she shooting down the idea of them being a couple before they've even went out on their first date.

"_This isn't about Nick. _And for the record, Nick wasn't the one who broke things off, I did, and nothing you can say is going to make me see things any differently."

She stands there, arms crossed, daring him to try and come up with something that's going to make her change her point of view.

"Fine." He says.

"So we're okay then?"She asks, surprised.

"No, but since there's no one else here who I want to spend my time with, what are you doing on Friday night?"

"I just told you-"

"I'm not asking you out Cuddy, I want to spend time with you….. as a _friend_." He says, drawing out the last word in his sentence as if it has left a disgusting taste in his mouth.

"Really?

"Yes really." He says with an exaggerated nod.

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I'm busy Friday night."

"Going to a party? Great, I still owe you on my promise to be your DD."

"It's not that. It's something else."

"What?"

"Last time I checked I didn't have to report my every move to you." She replies, getting annoyed by his questioning.

###################################################################

House hadn't pushed Cuddy further as to where she was going on Friday night, and instead, had turned back the dial on his flirting with her as well, per her request, that was at least until he could come up with a way to work around these _new rules_ she had unexpectedly thrown his way.

Okay, so maybe he did come on a little strong at first, but he knew she felt the same instant attraction to him as he had to her, and he also knew it went way beyond pure physical attraction, he could see it in her eyes every time they had in-depth conversation about the future or their classwork, or when she asked him about his Father and asked how thing were going for him.

Initially, he had thought about staking out her house on Friday evening to see where she was going, but then decided against it. He didn't want seem that desperate, or worse... like some psycho who refused to let her have a life outside of his world. And so, when Friday rolled around, he went to the local football game instead, figuring he'd at least get to see some hot cheerleaders in short skirts.

He wasn't disappointed, the grin on his face, a mile long when he spotted a sexy brunette on the top of the pyramid of cheerleaders, her smile immediately fading when he got up and clapped for her from the top of the bleachers.

################################################################

"Nice pom poms, and by pom poms I mean-"

"Shut up, House." Cuddy says, after he walked up to her in the parking lot behind the school, just as she opens the door to her car.

"Oh no, you're not getting off the easy, Cuddy." He tells her, holding her driver's door open as she shoves her pom poms into the back seat.

She gives him a look of death.

"Being a cheerleader looks good on your college resume, it shows I know how to have fun in addition to my academic achievements." She explains, taking a seat inside of the mustang.

"It also shows you know how to shake your ass." House counters, bending down to whisper those words into her ear.

"This is exactly why I didn't' want to tell you where I was going on Friday." She hisses over at him.

"Smart move on your part." He teases, standing upright once more.

She grabs the handle to the door. "Get out of my way or loose a ball."

He immediately grabs his crotch. "You know the game may be over, but the night is still young." He propositions to her.

"Are you seriously trying to spend time with me after insulting me for the past five minutes?"

"Am I risking my balls if I say yes?"

This time she doesn't give him a warning, yanking the car door closed.

Luckily for House, he was prepared for such a move, jumping out of the way before any damage could be done to his family jewels.

"Come on Cuddy, don't be like that." He shouts as she puts the car into first gear, roaring the engine.

She glares at him, rolling down her window. "Don't be like what? Sane? Angry? Tired of you acting like an ass?"

"You know ...if you weren't so worked up over _not _having a relationship with me, we may actually be having fun now instead of arguing."

"I'm not worked up."

"Prove it."

"How?"

"By going on a motorcycle ride with me."

"It's cold out, and in case you haven't noticed, the outfit I'm wearing isn't exactly made for hopping on the back of bike"

"Believe me _I have noticed_." He says with a sly whisper, watching as she forces herself not to smile over his remark.

_This is the closest he's gotten to getting things back to normal between the two of them and he's not about to let off the gas now._

"And…. I also noticed you had a bag in the back of your car when you threw those pom pom's inside, which I'd bet has a change of clothes inside of it.

##################################################################

They were on his motorcycle, her arms wrapped around his waist, the wind rushing past them as he drove them into town. It was an unseasonably mild autumn night, with temperatures hovering in the low-sixties, saving them from freezing their asses off.

"Where are we going?" She yells up to him over the wind and while wearing his helmet.

"You'll see." He yells back at her.

He hoped things would go good from them tonight, as after doing some thinking, he had decided the best way to get Cuddy to realize the potential of what they could have between to two of them was to go the route of stimulating her mind first in hopes that what she already felt for him on a physical level would soon follow.

As he slowed the motorcycle down and made a sharp turn into a parking lot, she finally was able to see their destination.

"This is the place?" She asked him as he shut off the engine to the bike.

"Yep, this is place." He assured her.

When she didn't move, he spoke.

"You need to get off first so I can get off….no pun intended, unless of course." He told her with a grin, looking over his shoulder to where she remained seated on the motorcycle.

She rolled her eyes at him and got off the bike, removing the helmet. He took it from her while she ran her fingers through her hair and placed the helmet on one of the handle bars before he dismounted the motorcycle as well.

"You're not planning on killing me, are you?" She questioned to him as they walked toward the building, wondering exactly what he had in store for them as they passed the sign which read _Clinton County Coroner's Office….._

#################################################################

"Greg, nice to finally meet you and this must be Lisa." Richard Darwin, the chief county corner said, offering his hand to House first and then to Cuddy.

"Nice to meet you." Cuddy responds, shaking his hand while looking over at the older gentleman with glasses and salt and pepper hair, still not sure what is going on as the three of them are now standing inside the coroner's office.

"Please take a seat." Richard offers to both of them.

House and Cuddy sit down in the chairs on the opposite side of the desk where the corner is now seated.

"So Lisa...Greg tells me you're interested in medical school?" The man asks.

"I am, but I'm not really interested..." Cuddy says, hesitating for minute so as not to insult the man by telling she wants to deal with the living and not the dead.

The man smiles at her. "Don't worry Lisa, I know it takes a special breed to be in my line of work. " He assures her. "It's just that when Greg contacted me, he had a rather novel idea of letting you see things from the end of the patient's story instead of at the beginning. I liked that idea, as well as talking to a young man who spoke so highly of a young woman and how brilliant and ambitious she was...I don't see enough of that going on these days between your generation. Of course without my bifocals, I don't see much of anything. "He jokes.

Cuddy looks over a House, a small smile lifting up the corners of her mouth_._

_Okay, this gesture by him was odd and a bit weird; however it was by far the most impressive thing a guy had ever done for her without a question._

"Looks like your boyfriend scored some brownie points." The corner says, looking over at the young couple seated before him.

"Oh no we're not dating. In fact, I think of Lisa as more of the little sister I never had." House tells the coroner, keeping a straight face while inside he's sure his remark will piss off Cuddy...just a little bit.

A glance in her direction, cements his conclusion as she narrows her eyes at him.

The corner, smiles again, not buying a word of what House is telling him.

"Okay then, before we start I need to ask the both of you some questions."

Cuddy and House turn their focus away from each other and back to the older gentleman before them.

"Now, are each of you prepared to see a dead body?"

"Yes." House answers without hesitation as Cuddy remains silent.

The corner focuses his attention on her. "Lisa, I assure you it's nothing gory. The corpse we would be viewing is of fifty-two year old gentlemen….who up until yesterday was in perfect health."

She takes a second to think about it then nods.

"Okay." She agrees, knowing that dealing with death would be as much of a part of her wish to become a physician as dealing with the life would be.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Cuddy took in a breath, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to see as the Coroner led both her and House to a room at the end of the hall.

The room where the body was kept was cold, the sight of the dead man lying naked in front of her, a bit unnerving to say the very least.

"Remember, we have nothing to fear from the dead, only the living." The coroner says to her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder before closing the door behind them and moving towards the corpse on the table.

Cuddy looks over at House, who is also studying the corpse however; his blue eyes are scanning the body in a most peculiar way, not in fear, or apprehension, but rather…..

"Wanna a closer look?" The Coroner asks him.

"Yeah." House says with a nod, walking up to the body.

She doesn't want to seem timid, or afraid in front of the Corner, and so Cuddy steps up as well.

"Looking for clues?" The corner asks House, knowingly.

"I read a lot of Sherlock Holmes." House responds.

The Coroner smiles at him, "Well let me give you a little background first," he says, before picking up the chart on the small table beside where the corpse is resting and opening it up.

"As I had said in my office, our patient was a healthy adult male, then around six months ago he started having some minor complaints of headaches and diarrhea. He went to his family physician, but nothing unusual was found."

Cuddy listened along with House while staring down at the body, pushing away the more morbid thoughts of her surroundings and looking for any external signs that may lead to why this seemingly healthy man had suddenly passed away.

"So is there anything external we should be seeing?" House asks as his eyes continue to focus on the body.

"Perhaps." The coroner tells him before continuing. "I can tell you a few weeks after his initial symptoms, the man complained of vomiting and blood in his urine. His family doctor sent him to both a GI doctor as well as a Urologist. The Urologist put him on antibiotics and the GI doc ran some tests, but they still came up with nothing in regards to the patient's symptoms.

"Had he been outside the United States recently?" Cuddy asked, having read a book a while back regarding some very strange and rare diseases that could be picked up by the unwary traveler.

"No." the coroner answered.

"What about any scandalous behavior?" House asked.

"Scandalous behavior?" The corner said with amusement.

"Drug use, drinking, wild women …you know every guy's fantasy." House goes on to say with a grin, pulling out a few examples that were the cause for some deaths in the detective novels he read.

"Well, he did marry a woman half his age." The Coroner tells him.

"So how'd he end up dying, heart attack during sex?" House asks, with a wiry grin.

The corner laughs, "I'm afraid not, you see as the man's symptoms progressed, he eventually went into convulsions and then slipped into a coma before his death."

As House and the Coroner continue to speak, Cuddy remains focuses on the corpse, her eyes starting once more at the top of the man's head, looking at his thinning hair, the skin on his face, his mouth, his neck, looking for something…anything, a prick of a needle perhaps, a cut, or a bruise as her eyes move down from the man's right shoulder, to his arm, then his wrist …until…..

"His fingernails." She says aloud, garnering the attention of both House and the Coroner.

"What about them?" The coroner asks with a pleased expression.

"There are vertical lines on them." She responds.

"Those are Aldrich Mee's lines." The coroner says.

"Arsenic poising." House and Cuddy both say in unison.

"How'd you know?" Cuddy asks House.

"Detective novels, and you?"

"I did a paper for school once on ancient methods of poisoning."

"You two work well together." The coroner remarks.

They turn to face him.

"So who killed him?" House asks.

"Well, the man's young, pretty wife had taken out a very hefty life insurance policy on our dear departed man about a year before he started to become ill." The coroner states.

"Did she really think no one would ever figure it out?" Cuddy asked with disbelief.

"People are strange." The corner replies in answer to her question, "You see, one thing you have to remember when you become a physician is that the human mind is capable of some really strange things, things you would never dream of. Sure you'll have your classic cases of the common cold and the flu, along with the obvious injury or accident, but once and awhile…. you'll get that gut feeling that something isn't right. Those are the moment you're going to treasure more than anything. Unfortunately for Mr. Whitehouse the physicians in charge of his care didn't think to look beyond the surface. "

###############################################################

After discussing the case of Mr. Whitehouse some more, the three of them headed back to the Coroner's office, where he proceeded to tell them about some other interesting cases he had been involved with during his 30 years in the business. He shared charts and photos with them, answering their questions as he prompted them to figure out what had happened to the lives that had been lost, making them laugh when the mood called for it and most importantly, treating them like the young adults they were and not kids.

"I wish you all the luck in the world, Lisa, from what I've seen tonight I believe you'd make a very good physician." The Coroner says, shaking her hand as he stands with her and House near the entrance to the building.

"Thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me."

The coroner then turns his attention to House. "I know you said you had an interest in Physics, but I wouldn't rule out a career as a physician as well. You asked some very good questions in there."

House smiles. "Trying to keep us working together?" He asks, nodding over towards Cuddy.

The Coroner shrugs his shoulders. "You should know something about fighting the laws of physics." He replies, a small smile upon his face before he bids them goodbye again before heading back inside.

############################################################

"Sorry for keeping you out so late. You won't get in trouble, will you?" House asks Cuddy, the both of them now standing beside her car once more in the empty school parking lot.

"It's okay; I told my parents I was going to be tutoring someone after the game so I could stay out a little later anyway."

"Do they always buy into your lies?"

"There not _all_ lies; I do tutor several students, mostly athletes who need to maintain good grades in order to be eligible to play."

"Maybe I should join the football team." He teases.

"I think track is more of your style." She says with a peculiar certainty.

He gives a look, "How'd you know?" He asks, that confidence she carries around with her, proudly on display.

"That day when you waited for me after school I wasn't at detention. I volunteer once a week to help file papers in the office."

"And snoop." House adds.

Cuddy smiles at him. "I like to think of it more as research."

He rolls his eyes at her. "Whatever makes you sleep at night."

She ignores the jab. "So are you going to try out for the track team?" She asks.

He looks down at the ground for a moment, "Yeah, probably." He tells her, lifting his gaze to her once more.

"Listen, thanks for tonight." She says softly, looking up at him, her heart begging her to step forward and kiss him, her mind warning her of the compilations that would come of it if she did.

"What are friends for….right?" House replies with a shrug.

"Right, okay then, I'll see you Monday at school." She says, feeling a bit disappointed even though she's the one who's laid out this border between them.

"Listen I gotta get going." He tells her before, turning away from her and reaching for his helmet resting on the handle bars of his motorcycle.

################################################################################

House had allowed Cuddy to go ahead of him in her car as they had left the parking lot, the headlight of his motorcycle, a beacon behind her as she started off down the street. He was there with her for ten or so minutes until she made the next turn, then he was gone.

Gripping the steering wheel she assured herself that she was doing the right thing by keeping him at arm's length. That it would be better for both of them in the long run when summer would return and he would be on his way to college and to the future he had dreamed off, without his abusive Father and without any of the trappings a broken heart would inflict upon a person.

She kept repeating these things inside of her head as she pulled back her sheets and climbed into her bed, her eyes getting heavy within a few minutes. However, when she was carried into her dreams the memory of his face came along for the ride, the feel of his leather jacket keeping her warm as they danced together out in the moonlight, pulling on her heartstrings, the feel of his lips on her own as he held her closer to him than anyone before him ever could, causing as sigh of sweet surrender to escape from her lips as she slept.

#####################################################################################

His plan had worked, he could see it in her eyes as she had moved in to embrace him tonight, however House did not have a smile on his face as he lay in his bed with his headphones on and the music playing.

_The way you walk, _

_The way you talk and try to kiss me and laugh in four or five paragraphs…_

_All your compliments and cutting remarks are captured here in the quotation marks…._

_I'm giving you a long look…..everyday, everyday, everyday…_

_Everyday I write the book…_

It was the yearning that was eating away at him now, the yearning to be near her, to see her smile, to feel her hand in his own, to kiss her….. again, and again until they were both out of breath.

Instead of continuing to fight the frustration, he gives into it, his right hand lowering to the button of his jeans as the image of her fills his mind. Her smile, her long, dark hair, the naked curves of her body, exposed to him inside of his brain. He wonders if her skin is as soft as it seems, if she'll arch her back when he lowers his lips to one breast and then the other, he wonders what kind of sounds she'll make when he's between her thighs, doing his best to drive her crazy, wonders if her slender fingers will tug at his hair or take hold of his shoulders as he starts to taste her, his tongue venturing inside of her in hopes of eliciting a soft moan from deep within her throat. With his heart racing, he changes up the scene in his fantasy, wondering if she'll hold onto him as tightly as he's imagining, her fingernails pressing into his biceps as he hovers above her and with a thrust enters inside of her as she looks up at him and takes in a sharp breath, the erotic thought, sending a tremor of excitement throughout his body as his lets out a gasp and succumbs to the raw desire now coursing through his veins.


	9. Chapter 9

**Better fasten your seatbelts Huddy babies…and hang on tight. **

**Chapter 9**

**"**So, you wanna be my partner?"

They were in biology class, the Wednesday after House had taken Cuddy to the Coroner's office when he had asked her the question.

"Sure." She agreed.

"Okay class, remember these are frogs. Not toys, not something to scare the person sitting next to you with and not something you toss around back and forth like a football," their teacher Mr. Roberts announced.

From in front of them House watched as Jason and Tom high fived each other.

"What are those two idiots even doing in this class? Shouldn't they be studying Cavemen 101?" House whispered over to Cuddy just as Mr. Roberts started passing out the frogs which had been soaked in formaldehyde.

"Cut them some slack, not everyone can be brilliant like you." She teased back him.

"Lisa, Greg...I'd really like if you two branched out a bit and became partners with someone else." Mr. Roberts said as he placed the dead frog on their lab tray.

House gave him a pathetic frown. "But I'm very unsteady with a scalpel in my hands." He whined.

The teacher shook his head at him. "Enough Greg, go switch places with Tom and Jason, why don't you come back here with Lisa."

###################################################################

"So what's going on with you and Lisa?" Tom asked House, with the scalpel in his large hand as the class started to make their first incision.

House looked down at the scalpel then up at the Neanderthal holding it. "Nothing, we're just friends. Here, why don't you let me make the first cut." He said, carefully taking the deadly weapon from the linebacker.

"I don't know man, the two of you are always together anymore." Tom commented.

House concentrated on placing the blade on the dead frog, slowly piercing the skin. "Like you said, Cuddy's not into high school guys like us." He muttered, hoping the Goon would soon drop the subject.

"Yeah, I guess," Tom said before looking back at Cuddy, " but I think if you're the quarterback to the football team, she might make an exception, at least she did with my brother." He went on to say with a grin.

House looked up, following Tom's gaze over to back of the classroom where Cuddy and Jason were standing. She was smiling at the quarterback as he spoke to her, a small laugh escaping her lips as the guy whispered something to her before she carefully began to slice the frog open.

_Jealousy,_ House felt it in an instant, even though he and Cuddy weren't dating, and even though he knew there would be no way she'd be into a guy like Jason based on what she had told him about Nick earlier, however he still felt the sting of jealously anyway.

"Too bad Becca isn't in class with us, I'd love to see a cat fight between those two." Tom whispers over to House with a smirk as they continued to watch Cuddy and Jason.

"Becca?" House questioned, turning his attention back to the linebacker while vaguely remembering the drunk, blonde girl he had met at the party with Cuddy a few weeks ago.

"Yeah Becca, you know head cheerleader with the great set of tits? Her and Jason have being going out for almost six months now." Tom informs him.

"How are we doing gentleman?" Mr. Roberts asks, interrupting the conversation.

"Just Dandy." House replies.

###############################################################

"So do you tutor Mister All American as well as the gorilla linebacker?" House asks Cuddy, following her as she moves along the lunch line.

She gives him a puzzled expression at first, "If you're referring to Jason, then yes." She replies, sliding her tray down the counter.

He moves with her. "Jason really is one big, sexy, hunk of boy candy, don't you think?"

She pauses in the middle of placing some greens from the salad bar onto her plate. "Are you trying to tell me you're gay?" She asks.

"No." He says immediately, hating the smile she's now giving to him.

"You know it's okay if you are." She teases, placing a few cherry tomatoes on her salad.

"You know damn well I'm not gay."

"_Oh I beg to differ_; I mean we really haven't known each other _that long_ and ….." She starts to say, continuing to tease him as she makes her way up to the cash register.

"Do you want me proving I'm not gay by sucking face with you right here in front of everyone?" He challenges back to her.

She looks up at him, knowing damn well he's not kidding. "Fine." She says before smiling at the lunch lady and handing over her cash.

"Honey... excuse me for saying so, but you're stupid for not taking him up on his offer." The lunch lady tells her with a wink as she hands Cuddy her change.

###################################################################

"Why are you suddenly so worried about Jason?" Cuddy asks House after he follows her to the table closest to the exit in the cafeteria, sitting down across from her.

"I'm not, just making small talk." He lies, opening up the brown paper bag holding his lunch.

She smiles at him again. "House, if you're asking if I like Jason, I do….as a friend."

"You say you like me as a friend, but we both know it's more than that." He points out to her, refusing to let her off that easy.

"I'm not having this conversation with you." She replies, getting ready to pick up her tray and leave.

House places his hand on the tray. Once more he's tiptoed across the border, even though he's told himself he wouldn't.

"I'm sorry. Just stay and we'll talk about something else." He says, apologizing to her.

She looks at him, studying his face, this push and pull between them, something that she knows cannot go on forever.

"Okay." She agrees.

###################################################################

That night, House tossed and turned in his bed, the way Jason had looked at Cuddy, the way she had smiled at him, still bothering him. The self-doubt on how well he really knew Lisa Cuddy, building up inside of him brick by brick until he was looking up at a formidable wall. When it was obvious he wasn't going to drift off anytime soon, he got out of bed and got dressed, the time on his clock reading 12:30 am when he left his place and headed out into the night.

It was cold out tonight, too cold to take the motorcycle for a ride, even if he had pushed it down to the end of the street before starting it so as not to wake his parents. The moon was full and the sky was void of any clouds, and as he started walking, his mind continued racing over his questions regarding Lisa Cuddy, his pace steady as he made it to the end of one street and then turned right on another. Even with the cold, he welcomed the absolute stillness of the night, it gave him time to think, gave him a chance to clear his head and decide how to handle his situation with the girl who had captivated him with every move she made.

As he passed by a large maple tree, he heard the creak of a door; he stopped in his tracks, peering over at the house illuminated under the street lamp a few hundred yards before him, the one that had realtors 'for sale' sign in the front lawn.

When Cuddy appeared in the side yard before moving to the front lawn of the home, he hid himself behind the maple tree...as the last thing he wanted was for her to think he has somehow followed her here.

At first he had felt relief, thinking that she was having trouble sleeping as well and needed time to think...about him, about what they were now feeling for each other. However, in a split second, his hopes came falling down to the ground beneath his feet as Jason appeared in the side yard behind her, walking up to her quickly and taking her by the hand.

It was a shot in the gut, the pain that radiated up into his chest making his throat tight as he stood there beneath the maple tree watching the scene unfold before him.

They two of them were whispering to one another, with Jason pulling Cuddy closer to him, leaning in to kiss her.

Beneath House's foot a twig snapped. He quickly ducked behind the tree, holding his breath.

For a moment there was silence and he hoped like hell they would not decided to come his way to investigate the sound, thanfully...after a few seconds there was more whispering between Jason and Cuddy, before Jason had left in one direction and Cuddy had left in another, walking right by House without knowing he was there, hiding behind the tree, feeling like everything he thought he knew about the girl who had haunted him for weeks now had merely been an illusion, the boy left alone with his thoughts on the cold autumn night, kicking himself for not seeing sooner that he had merely been a pawn in the game she was playing.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The next day, Cuddy wasn't at school….which suited House just fine as she was the last person he wanted to see at the moment.

During lunch, he sat by himself in the cafeteria, looking across the room at Jason, who was surrounded by a crowd of football players and cheerleaders, including Becca, who was seated beside Jason, his arm draped around the back of her chair.

House clenched his jaw, looking away for a moment.

_How could he have been so stupid? How could he have been such a fool?_ This was high school after all, with the popular kids doing whatever the hell they felt like doing and getting away with it. He had been through it before, seeing the casualties and the victors at his earlier schools, but somehow he believed that Cuddy had been different.

Returning his gaze to the group of jocks and bimbos, he finds Jason staring back at him, that is until Becca whispers something to the boy that makes him turn his head in her direction.

##################################################################

The next day when Cuddy returned to school, House played dumb, asking her how she was feeling and talking to her as if nothing was wrong, even though it was taking everything inside of him to do so, he ended up skipping Biology class, not able to stomach anymore interactions between Cuddy and Jason, and when lunch came, he ate by himself in the stairwell between the first and second floor.

When the school day was finally over, he waited outside of the building for Cuddy to appear once she was done helping out in the office.

"So how'd tutoring go last night?" He asks her, standing up from where he had been leaning against the retaining wall.

"How'd you know I was tutoring someone, and why weren't you in Biology class or at lunch today?"

"I know how much you like supporting the football team, especially the quarterback." He replies, ignoring her other questions.

She stops just as they reach her car. "Is this about Jason again?" She asks, slightly annoyed.

House takes a step closer to her. "I was just wondering how much I would have to dumb myself down in order to get you to fuck me like you did Nick."

She looks up at him confused. "Are you joking with me right now?" She asks.

"Okay, maybe trying to get you to fuck me right off the bat was too much too soon. How about we start with you giving me a blow job if I get a D minus on one of my papers instead?" House asks her.

_He was certainly not kidding with her, the tone in his voice and the look on his face telling Cuddy he was dead serious as he continued to degrade her._

For the first time in her life, she felt the sort of anger that comes from deep inside of a person, the kind that sends a wild current throughout your entire body, destroying everything and anything in its path.

"Fuck you." She tells him.

"Great! Just tell me what empty house you want to meet up at and I'll bring the condoms. I'll even bring an extra one for Jason."

When Cuddy slapped House across the face, his tall frame swayed for a moment, every ounce of rage she had felt inside of her ...effectively delivered with a tremendous force no one would have ever believed could come from a girl so much smaller than he was.

"Don't you ever come near me again you piece of shit!" She shouted, expelling the rest of the pent-up rage inside of her.

"What the _FUCK _did you do to her?!" Tom yelled, from behind them, charging up to them both and slamming House down on the hood of Cuddy's car.

"I didn't do anything you dumb ape. "House spat out, his jaw already starting to ache from where Cuddy has slapped him while his head was being pressed into the hood of the car by the behemoth.

"Just let him go Tom." Cuddy told the linebacker, grabbing hold of his arm.

"No, if he hurt you…..."

"He's not worth it Tom, he's just some military brat who won't' take no for an answer." Cuddy calmly says to the boy.

House feels the impact in his gut at the verbal punch Cuddy has just thrown his way as Tom slowly releases him.

"Don't' you ever come near her again, you hear me?" The linebacker warns him, pointing a finger into House's chest as Cuddy stands behind the football player.

"Not a problem." House replies, swatting the guy's finger away from him before spitting the blood, which had pooled in his mouth onto the macadam beneath him.

###################################################################

Turning the corner on the street that leads to his place, House zones in on the red pickup truck parked in the driveway, the boy standing beside the vehicle, talking to his father, none other than Jason Winters.

"Greg, I had no idea you were interested in joining the football team?" His father says to him with a smile as he parks the motorcycle in the driveway.

House looks over at Jason, who had obviously told the lie to his Father, "Well yeah, I'm not one hundred percent sold on the idea yet." He replies, getting off the bike.

"I completely understand, that's why I'm glad Jason here took the initiative to come over and talk to you a little more about it." His father says, the sparkle in his eyes, something House would have killed to have seen back when he had been just a lonely and confused boy.

"Your Dad told me you have a room above the garage, is it cool if we go up there to talk?" Jason asks.

House nods, not sure if punching Jason in the face or kicking him down a flight of stairs would be the best option, once his Father leaves the two of them alone of course.

"Good, we'll I'm heading back inside." His father says. "Oh….and Jason, dinner should be ready in about an hour if you want to stick around."

"Thanks for the offer Mister House." The quarterback replies with a wave.

"Come on." House says to Jason, wondering just how many more physical and mental blows he'll be taking before the day is over.

The quarterback follows him up the stairs and through the front door, House's concerns about anymore acts of violence justified as Jason slams him up against the wall inside the kitchen as soon as he shuts the door behind them both.

"You need to leave Lisa alone, you hear me?" Jason tells him as the veins in his neck rise with anger.

"I've already got the message from your buddy, Tom. Now let go of me ...or I'll make sure your pretty little face isn't so pretty anymore." House warns him.

Jason stares at him for a moment before letting him go, the quarterback turning his back to House before lowering his head.

"I love her." He says to floor beneath their feet.

"That's great; now get the fuck out of here." House replies.

Jason turns around "Do you love her? Because if you don't…..I might just have to beat the shit out of you."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" House asks, watching as the anger rises up in the Jason's face once more until it suddenly dissipates just as quickly.

"You didn't' know about us?" Jason asks.

"No." House answers.

The boy runs his hands through his hair, staring over at House again. "Of course you wouldn't' know about us, no one did because we wanted it that way. I just thought she would have told you after she told me she couldn't see me anymore."

"I guess girls who like to screw boys behind their girlfriends backs like to keep that sort of thing to themselves." House responds flatly, even though the news that Cuddy had ended things between her and her boy toy did help to ease some of the pain he was feeling.

"We weren't' having sex." Jason informs him.

House laughs at him ."Okay so how far did she let you go then? Heavy petting, fingering her a little bit? Jacking you off while you played with her tits?"

This time Jason punched him square in the jaw. "You stupid fuck, I asked her to show me how to kiss my girlfriend." He said standing over him with his fist still clenched as House fell down to one knee.

House shook his head, clearing away the stars that were circling around him as he rubbed his jaw, "You had to meet her at 1am for a make out session?" He questioned, bring his own fist up and punching the guy square in the balls.

"Fuuuuuck." Jason groaned, dropping to his knees, both boys now face to face once more.

After both of them regain the strength to stand, they got up and Jason spoke once more.

"Like I said, we didn't want anyone to know, I've known Lisa since we were five, I trust her...and yes I even dated her...back in middle school. But after Becca said I was slobbering all over her when we kissed, I knew I would get anywhere close to having sex with her until I tightened up my game a bit."

"But you just said you loved Lisa." House reminds him.

"I do, that's the bitch of this whole thing, me wanting Becca is what got me and Lisa together the first place, and now….well….the girl I really want ends up wanting some jerk who likes to hit below the belt." Jason admits, feeling the urge to punch House again, but deciding against as his groin is still recovering.

###################################################################

He took a chance, riding his motorcycle in the bitter cold, the wind slicing through his jacket and seeping into his skin as he gunned the engine, his eyes never wavering as he rode the bike up to the top of a lonely mountain just as the stars had begun to show themselves in the wake of twilight. Up to the mansion where he hoped Cuddy would go to find refuge from all that had transpired between them earlier today.

Cuddy stood on the balcony with her headphones on, the Walkman tucked inside her coat, looking out at the city as the night air did its best to freeze her in place where she stood, the music she was listening to, keeping her company as she wondered how she could have been so wrong about House, how she could have been so deceived by him. He only wanted one thing from her after all ...and the realization was enough to bring her to the verge of tears even though they had only known each other for a few weeks.

_You don't want to hurt me, _

_But see how deep the bullet lies. _

_Unaware I'm tearing you asunder. _

_Ooh, there is thunder in our hearts. _

_Is there so much hate for the ones we love? _

_Tell me, we both matter, don't we? _

_You, it's you and me. _

_It's you and me, won't be unhappy. _

The feel of a hand on her shoulder, sent a chill up her spine and on instinct she slapped it away as she turned around to face the intruder, the music still blaring inside of her head as she looked up at House with the cold moon resting behind him.

_And if I only could, _

_I'd make a deal with God, _

_And I'd get him to swap our places, _

_Be running up that road, _

_Be running up that hill, _

_Be running up that building, _

_Say, if I only could, oh... _

He reached for her headphone and she smacks his hand away for the second time. "I told you to leave me alone." She reminds him before removing the headphones herself.

"I'm sorry. Cuddy I'm so sorry...you have to listen to me.." He tells her, her cheeks a bright shade of crimson from her time spent out here in the cold as he looks down upon her.

She walks past him and into the bedroom. "Get out." She states pointing to the door.

"No, not until you explain to me just what in the hell's going on between us." He demands.

She smiles at him, a chilling, wicked smile that cuts him to the core. "I thought you already figured that out for yourself. I'm a cold, heartless bitch who gets off on screwing around with guys both mentally and physically."

He walks up to her, looking down into her eyes. "You're not any of those things. I know that now." He tells her.

She laughs and turns away from him, hugging herself while looking up at the stars. "Well good for you. Now get the fuck out of here."

He feels the anger and frustration rising up inside of him. "Dammit why is it so hard for you to be honest with me?" He asks her.

She spins around to face him again. "You want honesty House? Okay, I'll give you honestly I've been fucking Jason for three months now, every chance I get in every empty house my mother has up for sale."

"I don't believe you." House interrupts.

She laughs at him sarcastically "Oh come on House, I'm either a slut or tease according to you, so which one is it?"

"I never called you a slut, and you're not a tease...but you are a coward."

"You're insane." She replies as the cold air tightens its grip on the room.

"And you're scared."

"Scared of what, you?" She asks, folding her arms in front of her.

"Scared of this." He tells her, taking hold of her just before he kisses her.

His lips no sooner meet hers before she shoves him away. "I don't want you in my life! How many times do I have to tell you that before you get it through your thick head?" She questions.

"Fine, then prove it, kiss me and tell me you don't feel the same thing I do every time I look at you." He insists, stepping closer to her again.

"This isn't a game, House." She replies.

"I finally realized that." He whispers back at her.

She looks away from him, out into the night, her head telling her to flee, her heart begging her to stay.

"Just kiss me." He repeats,taking her hand.

She looks up at him, into his face, trying to read what's going on his brain while tracing the outline of his mouth, leaning closer to him and pushing herself up on her toes before she loses her nerve.

Her lips barely touch his at first, her fingers holding tightly onto the cold leather jacket he's wearing. She feels his hands move to her hips, her heart beginning to race after she notices how much they're 's as afraid as she is and it changes everything between them in an instant,her mouth opening up and welcoming his tongue inside, every part of her kissing him back now with everything she has inside of her, her arms wrapped around his neck as they fall against the wall behind them, his hand moving up to her jaw, his thumb caressing her cheek, the coldness between them suddenly set on fire.

She never wants to breathe again, never wants to have the biological need for oxygen as kissing him is all she requires from this day forward, all she needs as she feels the room begin to spin, the gravity holding her fast to the floor melting away as quickly as her convictions.

"See, was that so hard?" House asks her, trying to catch his breath when the finally do separate.

"I'm not sure, let me try again." Cuddy replies under the watch of a hypnotic moon before rising up to kiss him once more.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

After their lips had parted for the second time, House looked down at Cuddy and spoke. "I'm sorry for acting the way I did earlier...after school." He said, feeling like a complete asshole for jumping to conclusions.

"Just don't let it happen again, or I'll sic Tom on you." Cuddy teases, giving him a playful smack on the side of his face.

House winces in pain. "Shit." He curses under his breath, his right hand now rubbing his jaw.

"I'm sorry; I didn't realize I hit you that hard today." Cuddy says, apologizing to him as her hand moves to where his hand is nursing the wound.

_Feeling her hand on his, the look of concern on her face, well...that would be worth a thousand punches for him._

"You didn't, I mean don't get me wrong, you do pack one hell of wallop, but Jason was waiting at my house after school today and decided to use me as a punching bag until I hit him the balls." He tells her.

"Jason was at your house?" She asks him.

He nods. "Yeah, seems Jason thought that I already knew about what was going on between the two of you." House explains.

"Oh." Cuddy says, taking a step back from him.

He sees the worry on her face. "It's okay, Jason told me the two of you weren't having sex."

"What made you think I was having sex with Jason in the first place?" Cuddy asks, slightly offended.

House looks down at the marble floor beneath them, trying to figure out how he can explain to her why he thought the things he did about her without her getting mad at him.

"I saw you kissing Jason." He admits.

"When?" She asks him, a bit surprised.

"The other night, you and Jason were coming out of a house that was for sale on Maple Street."

'You followed me?"

"No." He tells her firmly, "I couldn't sleep, so I took a walk and ending up spotting the two of you on lawn."

She looks at him for a moment, a hint of disappointment taking over her face. "Do you really think so little of me?" She asks.

"No, Cuddy, it's not like that. It's just well….. after you told me about you and Nick…...'

She starts to turn away from him, thinking she's not going to like what he has to say.

"Cuddy, just wait. I'm trying to tell you ..."

"Trying to tell me that you thought I'd be up to screwing anyone at any time because of what happened between me and Nick?" she decides to finish for him.

"No dammit, that's not what I was going to say." He responds.

"Then what _are_ you trying to say?"

"You separate love and sex."

She rolls her eyes at him and he shakes his head in return.

"That's not a bad thing Cuddy, in fact I think it's pretty amazing. You and Nick, well... you knew what that was after a few weeks of dating him and you didn't try and make into something it wasn't. Most girls wouldn't' do that, especially considering that you were going out with the most popular guy at school."

She wants to smile at him, but holds back the desire to do so, "Go on." She tells him, walking over to the French doors and closing them before they both die of frostbite.

He smiles at her as she leaves his side. "Really, so you're actually going to hear me out now?" He asks.

After closing the doors, she passes him to pick up the remote on the mantel. "I didn't kiss you just because you asked nicely. I kissed you because I like the way you see things differently than most people do." She says, pressing the button on the remote.

He watches as the flames erupt inside the marble fireplace, the glow from the fire, enhancing her beauty all the more. "Okay, so when I saw you and Jason together, I knew you wouldn't be into a guy like that because of what you told me about Nick, but ...well...I thought you were having sex with Jason anyway because you wanted just that, _sex-_ with no strings attached, and not because you're easy, or a slut, but because you can separate sex and love and know what the expectations for each of those things."

She smiles at him, no a full-fledged smile mind you, but rather one that speaks of how interesting he truly is to her. "I don't know if I should be offended or flattered." She says, her eyes watching him like a hawk as he draws closer to her again.

"You should be flattered." He says to her in a soft whisper before leaning in and kissing her again.

She loves the smell of him, the combination of the cold night air and the trace of his cologne filling her senses as he kisses her, the way his hand moves to her neck and that darn thumb of his starts caressing her jaw, making her want to do so much more than kiss him.

"I can see why Jason enlisted you for kissing lessons." House tells her when they finally part, his heart beating like a drum inside of his chest.

She laughs at him, "It's all about the technique," she teases, lighting kissing his lips before biting down gently on the bottom one and giving it a soft tug.

He looks down at her once she releases his lip, studying her for a moment before kissing her again, his tongue moving in her mouth, his right hand now resting on the small of her back, the heat between them building once more until she abruptly breaks free from the smoldering kiss they are sharing and looks down at her watch.

"Shit! I'm sorry House, I have to go." She explains to him, leaving his embrace as she runs over to the bed to grab her purse.

"Really? Come on Cuddy, no tutoring job, or party can be more important than this." He pleads with her, clearly disappointed.

She smiles up at him as he joins her by the bed, "It's not that, I need to pick up my sister from ballet practice and I'm already five minutes late." She explains before giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Don't you have parents to do that sort to thing?" He asks, wanting her to stay here with him and keep kissing him….that is until they decided on what to do next.

"My parents aren't home. It's their anniversary and they went out for the night, so I'm watching my sister until they get home." She tells him.

"What time do think that will be?" House asks.

"I'm guessing around midnight. They said something about going out to dinner and then dancing." She says, already knowing what he's thinking as she watches the smile creep up on his face.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Who are _you_?" Eleven year old Julia Cuddy asks with her hand on her hip, after her sister had opened the front door and let the boy into their home.

"The boogyman." House replies, looking down at the girl with long pigtails in her hair.

"Julia, don't be rude." Cuddy says as she closes the door behind him.

Julia makes a face at the boy. "Just so you, I'm too old to be afraid of the boogyman." She adds smartly .

"Oh, I"m sorry did I say booygman? I actually meant to say booger man." House tells her, acting like he's picking his nose before trying to wipe the pretend booger on her shirt.

"Ewww you're so gross! Stay away from me." Julia squeals before leaving the foyer and going back into the living room.

"Really?" Cuddy asks him, after her sister is gone.

"What? The sooner I get your sister to steer clear of me, the more time I'll have to make out with_ you_." He tells her proudly before leaning in to kiss her.

She puts her hands on his chest keeping him from completing his mission. "There won't be any making out with me until Julia's' in bed, she's the world's biggest blabber mouth and the last thing I want to do is play fifty questions with my parents when they come home. "She informs him.

"Well, won't she be blabbing to them about me coming over here in the first place?" He asks.

Cuddy smiles at him. "I told Julia if she kept her mouth shut, I'd let her stay up till ten, but asking her to keep her mouth shut about us sucking face around her is way too much to ask of the little pest….so just play it cool and be patient."

###############################################################

A short while later, Cuddy was in the kitchen making Jiffy pop on the stove while House and Julia were in the living room sitting on the couch together and watching Jaws on network TV.

"You know this is based on a true story." Cuddy hears House saying to her sister while she continues to swirl the popcorn over the burner.

"No it's not." Julia argues.

"Oh yes it is, in fact I think it happened on the Jersey shore. You ever go there on vacation?" House asks, betting the girl does considering it's only an hour drive from where they live.

"Lisa, tell your _boyfriend _to shut up!" Julia shouts back to her, already scared about going into the water after seeing the first opening scene of the film when the girl gets dragged under by the great white shark.

_Boyfriend? _Cuddy thinks, ignoring her sister as she removes the Jiffy Pop from the stove, her mind suddenly questioning what her and House really were at this point, as up until now they had been too busy kissing each other to stop and figure it out for themselves.

"Just remember…. sharks like to go for the little kids first, easy prey" House says from the living room, to Julia.

"Actually I heard they go for stupid teenage boys who want to suck face with my sister." Julia remarks back to House just as Cuddy enters the room.

"Julia!" Cuddy says with surprise as House sits beside her sister, grinning from ear to ear.

###############################################################

As the movie continued, the three of them had sat on the couch, with Julia sitting in-between House and Cuddy, and House and Julia arguing and picking on each other for most of the film.

For her part, Cuddy played referee when necessary, telling one or the other to shut up and watch the movie while her mind continued to contemplate just what the definition of her relationship with House should be, and if she was truly ready to commit to him on a level that she had never been willing to do before with any other boy. It was heavy stuff for a sixteen year old to be worried about, but as House had pointed out himself to her, she wasn't like most girls her age.

From time to time Cuddy would feel House's gaze upon her, that is when he took a break from tormenting her little sister, and she would turn look in his direction, his eyes telling her that he too was thinking about them, and mostly likely about kissing her from the way his eyes would linger on her mouth as he smiled over at her, she also reasoned he was probably thinking about the other intimate activities they could potentially be doing to each other later on tonight as no matter how intelligent he was, House still had all the raging hormones of a seventeen year old male coursing through his veins, however…. not a word was spoken between the two of them as Julia reminded the barrier that kept them both at bay.

"Quit hogging all the popcorn, House!"

"I'm just trying to get some before you're greasy little hands scarf it all down you creepy midget."

###############################################################

After making sure Julia was asleep in her bed on the second floor, Cuddy made her way back down the stairs, intending on heading into the living room where she had left House so they could start to talk about their relationship, he however had other ideas, as he met her the bottom of the stairs, pulling her into a passionate kiss.

She felt herself melting into his embrace, her hands cupping his face as she kissed him back, the ticking of the clock above them, recording the moment in history as he held onto her hips.

"I thought that twerp would never go to sleep." House muttered down to her when their lips parted.

"House...we need to talk." She responded.

"About me getting to second base tonight? Cause personally….. I think my chances are very good." He teases with a devilish look on his face.

"_No,_ about what's going on here, between us." Cuddy informs him.

House raises an eyebrow at her. "I think we both know what's going on here."

She removes herself from his embrace, leaning back against the wall. "What do you want from this?" She asks.

"From us?" He questions.

"Yes, what do you want this to be?"

He looks at her strangely at first, then has the ah-ha moment. "You're seriously asking me if I want a strictly physical relationship with you?"

"This doesn't have to be anything complicated. Not if we don't want it to be. I respect you and because of what you said to me earlier I know you respect me." She tries explaining to him.

He takes one of her hands in his own, moving the other up into the curve of her neck, his thumb sweeping across her jawline. "Cuddy, I wasn't lying when I told you how you make me feel ...and I hope to _god _you at least feel some of those same things about me."

She stares up at him for a moment, letting her heart lead the way for once in her life. "I do." She responds, feeling as if she's just taken a step towards a very dangerous cliff.

"Then why hold back our feelings…. or limit ourselves to one kind of relationship? I know you want be a doctor and I know you're chopping at the bit to leave this town, but while we're here together ...the only restrictions we have on our lives are the ones we place on ourselves." He tells her as he pulls her close to him again.

"What about the restriction our parents place on us?" Cuddy asks, even though she already feels herself getting swept up in the moment with him, their conversations becoming ever more intoxicating both intellectually as well as physically to her.

He lets out a sarcastic chuckle." Are you kidding me? With my brains and your gift for slinging bullshit our parents are no match for the two of us." He tells her with a grin.

###########################################################

The air inside the living room seemed to have gone up to one hundred degrees as House and Cuddy continued to kiss each other, their hands roaming, their bodies moving with each other until he was on top of her, his hand under her shirt and unclasping her bra, a chill running up his spine when she lowered her lips to his neck, gently biting the flesh, his cock, twitching inside of his jeans when she wrapped her leg around his waist pulling him closer to her.

They were speeding like a freight train, the attraction, the passion and yes…the teenage lust they had for each other now finally set free to cause mayhem with them.

He heard her let out a soft gasp as he kissed her collar bone, his hand starting to gently massage her breast underneath her shirt.

She could feel him becoming aroused as his pelvis pressed harder into hers, her hands moving to his t-shirt and getting ready to remove it when she heard the car door slam shut.

"House!" She whispered into his ear, the sound of the second car door closing, causing a wave a panic to rush over her.

"Cuddy." He whispered into the softness of her hair as his thumb brushed over her nipple.

"House you need to get out of here…now!" She warned, pushing him off of her with more strength than all five foot four of her should have possessed.

"Huh?" He asked looking down at her, completely drunk with passion and sporting a raging hard-on.

The stupid smile on his face had almost caused her to bust up laughing, except for the fact that her parents were only a few seconds away from catching them.

"My parents are home you idiot!" She snapped at him, squirming out from underneath him before yanking him to his feet.

He watched with amusement as she quickly hooked her bra before reaching for his jacket on the back of the sofa and throwing it at him.

"Hurry up!" She scolded as he slipped the coat on, her hand reaching for his and dragging him into the kitchen.

House checked out her ass along the way, feeling as high as kite, discovering making out with Lisa Cuddy was almost a religious experience….which was saying a lot considering he was an atheist.

When she opened the backdoor for him to leave, he quickly pulled her into his embrace.

"Say you're my girlfriend." He stated while staring down into her frantic face.

"Are you nuts?" She whispered up at him, hearing the front door opening.

"Say it or I'm going to make out with your right here." He threatened to her.

"Lisa? Are you still up?" Arlene Cuddy asks from the foyer, while taking her coat off.

"Fine, I'm your girlfriend; now get the hell out of here!" Cuddy says, shoving him out the door before carefully closing it so as not to make a sound, biting back her smile as she leans against the door, reminiscing of how huge the smile had been on his face after she had said those words to him.

###############################################################

There was no way he was going to be able to sleep tonight, not after kissing her, not after feeling Cuddy's body so willing to partake in the kinds of activities every red blooded person on this earth longs for, his mind still dizzy with everything they had done inside her living room as he stands in the backyard, hidden in the shadows and staring up at the second floor, wondering which bedroom is hers. After a short while he sees a light turn on then off after a few short minutes.

"Goodnight Cuddy." He whispers up to her with a smile before sneaking around to the front of the house, pausing just he reaches the bay window of the living room, the soft murmur of music, garnering his attention.

At first it was hard to make out the tune, so he closed his eyes and concentrated on the notes and the singer's voice until the song became clear to him.

_Hold me, hold me_  
_Never let me go until you've_  
_Told me, told me_  
_What I want to know and then just_  
_Hold me, hold me_  
_Make me tell you,"I'm in love with you"_

House's curiosity gets the best of him and he carefully peeks into the living room, seeing a tall woman with blonde hair and the kind of enchanting features that would have men falling at her feet, gracefully dancing with a man with jet black hair and a full beard, the man's height just barely above the woman's as she twirls around the living room in heels. There was no doubt in his mind that Cuddy's parents were in love, the way they looked at each other, the way they swayed to the music, the way her Mother's eyes sparkled when her Father spoke to her just before kissing her, it was easy to see that Lisa Cuddy's parents had the kind of relationship he had only dreamed for his own father and mother to have.

_Thrill me, thrill me_  
_Walk me down the lane where shadows_  
_Will be, will be_  
_Hiding lovers just the same as_  
_We'll be, we'll be_  
_When you make me tell you, "I love you_"

Moving away from the window, he felt a sudden sadness come over him as the thoughts of his parents relationship began to invade his mind, the knowledge that they had never so much as held hands or even given each other a peck on the cheek in front him, something that often made him question while they ever got married in the first place.

But before those thoughts could control him however, House reminded himself of what had just occurred between him and Cuddy in that very living room just a short time before her parents had arrived back home and it succeeded in putting the smile back on his face as he snuck past the window and towards the sidewalk, illuminated by the streetlamps.

Lisa Cuddy was _his girlfriend_ and there was no better feeling in the world than that as he walked down the street, whistling the tune that had been playing inside the Cuddys living room, his hands shoved into his pockets to stave off the cold, his feet echoing on the pavement as he made his way home and with his head somewhere up in the clouds.


	13. Chapter 13

**Some hot and heavy stuff going on here…..you have been warned ;)**

**Chapter 13**

The next day, House and Cuddy made plans for her to pick up him at his place around one pm before the two of them would head up to the empty mansion on the top of the hill. On their way there, they had stopped at a pizza place and ordered a pie to go, grabbing two sodas from the cooler inside the shop as well.

For her part, Cuddy had told her mother she was going over to Becca's to work on some cheerleading routines before heading to the mall, and then later going out for pizza. Since it was Saturday and Cuddy had used the lie of going to Becca's on more than one occasion, her mother was not concerned in the least.

For House's part, he told his mother he was going to spend time with Jason, which he knew would suit his Father just fine… if the man cared to ask about his whereabouts.

Nearly two hours, later the two of them were up the master bedroom of the estate, sitting on the bed with House's long legs stretched out on the mattress, while Cuddy sat on the opposite side of the bed with her legs bent at the knees, the both of them eating pizza and finishing their sodas while the fireplace kept them warm. Between them on the bed was the pizza box along with some books Cuddy had placed at their feet when they has started eating, as she had made it clear to House when they planned this little adventure that this was not just going to be a make out session between the two of them as she wanted to prep for an upcoming Physics test on Monday.

"Okay, are you ready to get back at it?" Cuddy asks House, wiping her hands with a napkin before tossing inside the pizza box.

House gives her frown, tossing the curst of the pizza he had just eaten into the box as well. "We've been studying for nearly two hours, if you don't know this stuff by now you're shit out of luck." He points out to her.

"I just want to make sure I do well on the exam." She tells him, closing the pizza box before rolling onto her side and moving it to the floor.

He checks out her ass while her back's turned to him.

"I assure Cuddy, you'll be just fine." He tells her with a smile just as she turns to face him once more.

Her dark hair has fallen over her shoulder, her mouth so dangerous close to his own he has no choice but to kiss her.

She moves her hand to his jaw, gently caressing it as she eases herself back onto the mattress, kissing him has been such an amazing thrill for her as finally she has found someone who actually knows how to kiss her properly, and without instructions from her.

Feeling her body lower onto the mattress, House wastes no time in positioning himself on top of her, his mind racing as she parts her legs and allows him to settle between them, his hand moving up from hip and to her breast, his desire for her, roaring to life once more…..until suddenly, he pulls free from the kiss they are sharing.

"What's wrong?" She asks him.

"Nothing." He says, looking down at her and noticing the way her hair is fanned out around the red satin pillow, those gorgeous lips of hers still wanting his undivided attention.

He kisses her again softly, slowly, but then ends their union once more by pulling away from her.

"House….do I have garlic breath or something?" She asks him as he stares down at her.

"No…I mean you do, but I do too so we cancel each other out….it's just…" He sighs, looking down at the breathtaking girl beneath him, wanting her more than he has ever wanted any other girl, or in his case more than any other woman in his life.

She smiles up at him. "House, I'm okay with us having sex, and I have condoms if you don't." She offers, giving him a small kiss, thinking that's the reason for his hesitation.

He smiles down at her, appreciating how confident she is about sex, how utterly tranquil she is in her own skin. "It's not that." He says before rolling off of her and sitting on edge of the bed.

"Okay, then what is it?" She asks, sitting up and taking the spot next to him.

"I want to have sex with you." He starts off saying.

"Well that's good, because I want to have sex with you too." She says with smile.

"You didn't let me finish. I want to have sex with you…...just not right now."

She looks at him with confusion. "Okay? Mind telling me why?"

He takes her hand in his own, resting them both on his thigh. "I care about you… a lot. "He confesses to her, "And well, if we have sex right now …..were' kind of starting at the end of things, a least I think we are, and I guess what I'm trying to say is….when you care about someone...you usually spend your time working up to sex because you want to know them on an intimate level that's different from just screwing their brains out." He tries to explain to her, hoping she'll understand, praying she doesn't think of him as a strange, or worse as an all talk - no action kind of guy.

"Exactly what were you thinking in terms of working up to it?" She asks, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze while growing more intrigued by him with every passing second.

He smiles at her. "Well for starters more kissing, and touching, and some oral sex ….if you're okay with that." He offers, feeling so at ease with her and the depth of her understanding she has for him in such a short time they've had together, he starts realize just how lucky he was to find her….. here, in this little suburban town.

"All of that stuff _is_ pretty good….if you know what you're doing." She remarks looking over at him with a grin.

"I can assure I know what I'm doing."

"Then prove it." She says biting down on her bottom lip and egging him on.

"Okay, just remember… you asked for it." He says to her just before he starts kissing her.

#############################################################

"Lay back on the bed." House tells Cuddy as his lips move to her neck.

They had been kissing and touching each other, hands roaming over clothed skin for the last fifteen minutes until they both felt they would burst.

"Do you want me to take off my sweater?" Cuddy asks him, scooting back to the middle of the bed while still remaining seated.

"Good idea." House tells her, "But I'll take care of it." He adds quickly just as her hands move to the bottom of the shirt.

She nods, placing her hands at her side as he crawls up between her legs, kneeling in front of her, his hands taking hold of the sweater and pulling it over her head.

"Did I ever tell you red is my favorite color?" He asks her, looking down at the sexy lace bra she is wearing.

"I'll have to remember that." She responds as he lowers himself down from the kneeling position so that his thighs are now resting on his claves, his hand moving to her neck as he comes face to face with her again, kissing her gently.

She takes in a breath as his hands move to her back, unclasping the bra, his fingertips, rising up to her shoulders as he pulls down the straps, she leans back from him a bit so he can remove the garment, her body lowering to the mattress, her breath catching in her throat as he lowers his mouth to her breast.

His lips are just barely touching her, the tip of his tongue gently licking her nipple, causing her to squirm.

"You like that?" He asks with a grin, looking up at her.

She smiles down at him and nods.

He lowers his head once more, continuing his gentle stimulation of her nipple, his right hand now moving to her other breast, caressing it just as gently at first before his thumb brushes over her nipple.

He feels her back arch and starts to suck on the opposite nipple, feeling her hands gripping tightly on her shoulders. She alive with desire for him and he's hell bent on showing her that when it comes to the two of them, there's no need to refer to text books, no need to spell out what is needed, just some hauntingly, aching whispers of her desires from her lips will be enough for him.

Cuddy closes her eyes, the way he's touching her, the way his mouth and lips and hands are discovering her body, a far cry from the boys who tried this kind of stuff with her before, along with the boy who she had instructed in her past. House's mouth moves over to her other breast, his left hand taking the place where it had just been, his fingers gently tugging that nipple as his mouth sucks in the other one. She feels the incredible ache start to build between her thighs, her hips rising up in reaction to what he is doing to her, a rush of adrenaline coursing through her body when his hand pushes her left hip back unto the mattress, trying to steady her.

"Do you want me to get you off?" He asks her, his voice low, his hot breath searing her skin as he speaks to her with his head down, his lips leaving her nipple for the briefest of seconds before he goes back to sucking it.

"Yes." She whispers, her body starting to tremble as his body shifts and he makes his way down her torso, his hands undoing the button on her jeans.

She lifts her hips as he's rising to his knees and he quickly pulls the jeans free from her legs, her eyes, watching him as he smiles at the red panties she's wearing.

"A girl who likes to match, I like that." He says with a sexy grin, tossing her jeans on the floor, "now where were we…." He adds before he lowers himself down to kiss her once more.

She wraps one arm around him, the other caressing his face, her legs bending as she feels his right hand inching up her thigh. Her panties are still on and she feels a jolt of electricity run through her as he tugs at them with his fingers, her mind racing as he slips his hand into the small pocket of space he's created.

He starts of slow with her, continuing to kiss her, but not with full force, brushing his lips against hers, looking down into her eyes as his thumb finds her clit.

Her eyes widen as she looks up at him, the expression on her face, so achingly beautiful as his thumb brushes against her gently, his index finger inching inside of her slowly, carefully.

"Close your eyes." He whispers down to her, waiting until she does to push the finger fully inside of her.

Her back arches again and he lowers his head, mouth ready to seize her breast, his erection aching inside of his jeans. He quells the impending orgasm on his end by concentrating solely on her, sucking harder on her nipple and feeling a shiver run through him as she moans softly in response to his actions, his finger now moving in an out of her steadily, his thumb sweeping back and forth on her clit until…..

"House." She breathes out into the air around them, her hips bucking into his hand, her eyes now wide open and staring up at the ceiling, he crawls up to meet her, kissing her passionately while she's still under the spell of her orgasm, his cock still rock hard and aching for release.

She holds him close, the stars behind her eyes slowly fading, his erection pressed into her thigh, her mind spinning in the best kind of way, _he is amazing_ and she doesn't want to lose this feeling, the high, the rush he has given to her while being so focused on her responses…. something she wants to give back to him.

"On your back." She whispers into his ear when his lips leave her mouth and focus on her neck.

"What?" He asks her with a grin, staring down at her.

"You heard me, on your back…now." She orders to him in the most sweet but sinfully seductive way.

He's more than eager to comply, shit eating grin on his face as he rolls off of her, tucking his hands underneath his head.

"Show me what you got." He says as she sits up, her amazing breasts hovering in front of his face as she straddles him.

She slaps his hand away when he tries to touch them. "No touching. It's my turn now." She scolds to him, loving the way her words bring a fire to his eyes.

"Whatever you say mistress." He agrees with a grin and a soft laugh.

She rolls her eyes at him after hearing the comment.

"Just shut up before I change my mind." She warns him.

He draws in his lips and she fights the urge to laugh at him, her mind, hell bent on giving him as much pleasure as he's given to her.

"I'm using my mouth on your chest and my hands on your cock…okay?" She asks him.

He's stunned for a moment, _holy hell she knows how to talk dirty_, but then again, she's good at talking no matter what the subject.

"Okay." He says, before she kisses him.

A short while later his t-shirt is off and she's licking and sucking his nipples, her hand reaching down to the bulge inside his jeans, caressing it, his body trembling with anticipation.

"Mmmmm …such a big boy." She teased with a hot whisper, kissing her way down his chest and to the button on his jeans.

"You'll find out how big soon enough." He manages to say, his right hand caressing the top of her head as he eyes stay glued onto her.

She looks up at him and smiles and he nearly cums at the sight of her, his thumb brushing against her cheek as she unbuttons and unzips him, her soft hand, removing his erection from his briefs.

"Not bad." She says with a smirk, sitting beside him as her hand moves up the length of his cock.

"Exactly how many dicks have you seen?" He shoots back at her just before he gasps as she circles the tip with her thumb.

"Umm let me think…" She starts to tease, lowering her other hand to his balls and gently caressing them, "well of course there was Nick, then some guys in Playgirl."

"You read Playgirl?" House strains to say as she keeps one hand on his balls while she starts to slowly jerk him off with the other.

"I don't really read it per say." She jokes back him, loving the way his hips are starting to buck under her touch.

"Does that feel good House?" She whispers up to him.

He nods, and she picks up the pace, his eyes now squeezed shut as she looks up at him, her hands counting to work their magic.

"Open your eyes and cum for me, House." She whispers again and he does, his body convulsing, the hot liquid escaping him as his chest heaves up and down.

"Fuck." He says with an ache, looking down at her as she smiles up at him, lighting crashing inside of his brain as she quickly crawls up to where he's lying on the bed and starts kissing his cheek, his brow, his lips.

#####################################################################################

They lay together, Cuddy clad in only her panties, House without his shirt and his jeans still unbuttoned, her head resting on his chest as he strokes her arm.

"Are you sure you've only been with one guy?" He asks her.

She lifts her head up, placing her chin on his chest. "I'm pretty sure my vagina would know." She tells him and he bursts out laughing.

"Okay….I asked for that one…sorry….it's just…..oh god I don't even want to say this but I guess I have to….the way you talked to me…the way you…well….you're really good." He confesses, hating to do it but realizing she definitely needed to know.

She gives him a brilliant smile, "Really?" She asks.

"Yeah, like porn star good." He teases, wanting to knock her down a peg or two before she realizes that he's already head over heels for her.

"I don't want to be that good." She says with a playful frown.

He lowers his head and gives her peck. "How about you're adequate? Will that do?" he teases again.

"I think I'll take your first review of my performance, thank you very much." She replies back to him, her index finger drawing circles on his chest.

He reaches for her hand and stills it. "Was it good for you to?" He asks her honestly.

"Porn star quality." She teases back to him.

He rolls her over. pinning her onto the mattress. "Do I need to do a repeat performance?" He asks.

"It would be nice." She says with a sexy grin.

_God she's incredible,_ he thinks to himself, "So it was good!" He responds to her instead with a grin, keeping the thought to himself.

"I didn't' say that," she protests before letting out a squeal of surprise when he suddenly lowers his head and starts nipping at her neck.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The first day back at school after his pairing with Cuddy had been incredible for House, the way everyone turned in their direction when they had walked down the halls, the way their classmates had gazed and whispered as he held hands with Cuddy, giving him a sense of pride as he had snagged the girl every boy in this school had wanted for his own.

As the weeks soon passed by them, the blossoming of their relationship as a couple only served to deepen his feelings for her, their flirting…. now laced with promises of what would come later, when they were alone. The high he felt when he held her hand, or placed his arm around her waist, something he craved as much as the air he breathed, especially when she leaned into him, smiling up at him, letting him know that she was his, letting him know she felt the same way.

Of course like most kids their age, they couldn't keep their hands off of one another, however as the weeks had rolled on, they had kept their intimate relationship set on pleasing each other using only their hands and mouths, a decision most teenagers would think was a roadblock in the way to the real prize, however it had actually been the opposite for them, both of them testing each other to see what would cause the best reaction, the more intense orgasm, a new thrill unleashed around ever corner as they explored their possibilities with one another. However, as the last weekend of November drew closer, House offered an invitation to Cuddy that would most certainly result in them turning up the heat on their physical relationship, his parents would be gone for the entire weekend, visiting his aunt, leaving him all alone.

"So?" House asks Cuddy as they meet in front of the school that morning.

"I've gotten the approval to dwell in your den of sin." She tells him with a brilliant smile.

He stops her in her tracks, moving her over to the corner of the building where there are tall bushes to keep them hidden as the other kids continue their journey up the steps and to the entrance of the school.

"So exactly what lie did you tell your parents this time?" He teases to her just before kissing her.

"Get a room." Becca yells at them with a smile, spotting them as she had seen movement behind the bushes, knowing of the couple who liked to use them frequently.

"Becca, come her a minute" Cuddy whisper over to her, much to House's dislike.

He wants to keep making out with her, not place his brain on autopilot as the ditzy blonde makes her way over to them.

"You've got your story straight…right?" Cuddy asks her.

Becca nods, "Yeah, you and me along with two other girls are going to the weekend dance marathon at the Y, of course we'll call our parents, but we don't want them coming down an embarrassing us." She repeats back to Cuddy.

Cuddy nods, "Great, thanks a bunch for doing this. So what are you and Jason going to be doing this weekend?" She asks, being polite as always to the girl who has helped her out in more ways than she has ever known.

"Jason's dad has a cabin in the woods about an hour north of here." Becca tells her with grin.

"Just make sure Jason isn't the Jason from those Friday the 13th movies or you're as good as dead." House says, with a dry tone from beside the girls.

"Behave." Cuddy warns, smacking him in the chest as Becca looks over at him in shock.

"He was just teasing. Cuddy goes on to assure the girl, even though she knows House wasn't.

Becca lets out an annoying laugh, "You're so funny, House!" She says in a cheery tone, before she turns her attention back to Cuddy.

"Hey Lisa, can we talk later at lunch about that thing I told you about?" She asks, glancing briefly up at House before quickly focusing back on her friend.

"Sure." Cuddy tells her with grin.

"Okay, see you guys later." Becca responds, practically bouncing away from them.

"What the hell was she talking about just now?" House questions to Cuddy wrapping his arms around her waist, his chin resting on the top of her head as he stands behind her.

"Becca wants to go all the way with Jason this weekend." Cuddy explains.

"You mean they haven't already? I was sure those two dimwits would have been making the beast with two backs by now."

Cuddy looks back at him with sour face. "How can you be so charming one minute and so crude the next?" She questions.

"It's a gift." House says proudly, holding her tight while girding his crotch into her behind.

"Oh god…really?" She asks, trying not to laugh as he holds her close to him, his right hand moving down the hem of her skirt, while she tries to break free of his grasp.

"Come on Cuddy, let me pet the kitty before class...just once." He teases to her in a low whisper, keeping his hold on her.

"Stop or I'm going to give you a heel to the balls." She warns, her hand moving over his before House can slip his fingers under her skirt.

"Fine. "He grumbles, spinning her around to face him before pinned her up against the building." So I guess it's just a kiss for now... before I have you purring later." He says to her with a seductive grin.

"I'm going to hold you to that." She says with a smile of her own, loving the way he talks to her, loving that he _is _the type of guy to keep his promises when it comes to making her orgasm in the most delicious ways, his lips lowering to hers as she leans into him.

"Lisa, Greg…I think it's time for the two of you to go inside." The principal, Mister Chambers stays to them both, spotting them kissing after getting out of his car from the far end of the parking lot.

"Shit. " Lisa curses under her breath, feeling House's hands immediately release her.

House looks over at the teacher for a moment as Cuddy quickly heads inside.

"Greg, I want to talk to you for a moment." Mr. Chambers says.

House lets out a sigh of frustration, knowing this isn't going to be good.

"I know the two of you _think_ you're in love." The principal begins to say.

"So you've noticed huh? Was it the True Love Always GH and LC I had scribbled all over my notebook? Or did you hear it first hand from Becca?" House finds himself saying giving the man a wink, immediately getting a stern look from the principal in response.

"You know Greg, if you weren't such a smart kid, I'd be giving you detention right now for that wise crack," he warns, "However since you and Lisa are the top two students in this school ….I'll let it slide, just this once. However, in the future when it comes to the public displays of affection between you and your girlfriend, well, let's just say no matter how grown up the two of you _think_ you are…you're both still under eighteen, and if I witness or hear of any more of that type of behavior occurring on school grounds I'll have no choice but to involve your parents. Understand?"

"Yes sir." House replies, even though he'd like to tell the guy to fuck off.

###############################################################

"Your groping got me trouble." House whispers over to Cuddy as they sit in class together a short while later.

"_My groping_?" Cuddy whispers back to him with a glare.

He smiles at the face she's making at him. "Like you've _neve_r groped me. " He challenges back at her.

She bites back her smile, "So what did Mr. Chambers say?"

"Something stupid about us not being adults, blah blah, he's going to tell our parents next time he catches us. It all just means we'll just have to be a little sneakier in the future when it comes to our mutual groping on school grounds." He tells her.

After hearing what he has to say, Cuddy glances up to the front of the class to make sure the teacher is still focused on writing his thoughts onto the chalkboard, meeting House's gaze once more she's sure they won't be spotted.

"Okay." She agrees, before carefully crossing her legs underneath the desk and cleverly hiking her skirt up on her left thigh just a little bit and just for him to see.

"You're playing with fire, Cuddy." House whispers over at her with a grin, her actions reminding him once more why he's the luckiest guy in this entire school.

###############################################################

During lunch, Cuddy had shooed House away so she could talk to Becca in private, and also to help keep the heat off of them as the principal strolled through the cafeteria.

The pleased look on Mr. Chambers face as he passed the table she was seated at with Becca, told Cuddy that continuing to distance herself a bit from House when the principal was around, would soon leave the man to focus on someone else instead of the two of them.

"So, you think I should?" Becca asks Cuddy, drawing her attention once more.

Cuddy lets out a sigh. "Becca, you're the only one who needs to be sure, not me."

"I know, it's just well, lately Jason seems less than interested in me and..."

"Then that's all the more reason you should wait." Cuddy interrupts.

"I don't think so, I think Jason waiting this long is why he's not as interested in me." Becca argues back to her.

"Time's up!" House announces from beside them after seeing the principal leave the cafeteria.

Becca gets up a little too eagerly, "See ya Lisa." she says.

Cuddy grabs her arm, pulling her down to where she had been seated. "Juts promise if you do decide to have sex with Jason you'll use protection." She whispers to the girl.

Becca nods before getting up again, giving House a smile as she leaves.

"So…is Bambi ready to knock boots with Dumbo?" He asks, taking a seat beside her.

"I think so, but for all the wrong reasons." Cuddy replies.

"So? Why do care so much about those two idiots anyway?" House replies, knowing that even though she has no romantic interest in Jason, the quarterback had admitted to him he does have feelings for Cuddy..as in he's in love with her.

Cuddy turns her head in his direction. "I care because Jason has a chance at getting a football scholarship."

"Okay, so again, why does that matter to you?" He pushes.

She gives him a disappointed look. "If Jason doesn't' get a football scholarship, he's pretty much stuck in this town for the rest of his life and will probably end up in some factory, doing a job he hates. Jason's lived and breathed football since he's been ten and it's his dream to play in the NFL. Everybody deserves to follow their dream, not matter how stupid you may think they are." She tries to explain to him.

"What about Becca's dream?" House asks.

Cuddy shakes her head. "Becca wants to marry Jason right out of high school and start a family,even though I've told her that she should wait."

House looks at her for a moment, the words she's just spoken him revealing that in spite of her outward appearance, Cuddy feels far more than she lets on about the people she cares about in her life.

"You can't save everyone, Cuddy. Sometimes dreams don't come true, it's just the way things are." He replies, thinking about the caring father he had dreamed of having for so long that had never come true.

"Well I can try." She responds, her eyes moving over to where Becca and Jason are seated, hoping that the cheerleader's insecurity, as well as her Catholic upbringing regarding birth control will not end up unraveling the quarterback's dream.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

On Friday night, Becca had picked Cuddy at her place, the bubbly cheerleader, talking to Cuddy's mother and father inside the living room about how excited she was for the dance marathon, the girl, convincingly lying through her teeth to them before she and Cuddy had said their goodbyes and left.

A short while later Becca had dropped Cuddy off at House's place; with plans to arrive back in town early Sunday afternoon to pick Cuddy up and take her back to her parent's house.

With butterflies in her stomach and a duffle bag containing a weekends worth of clothing slung across her shoulder, Cuddy knocked on the door to the second floor loft, already deciding that by the end of this weekend she would be having sex with House, her body desperately wanting to experience all of what House had to offer to her as her mind had been fulfilled beyond her wildest dreams.

House's smile was big, his face filled with a level of excitement to match her own when he opened the door for her.

"Yes! My mail order girlfriend finally came!" He joked.

"You're so weird." She replied with a grin, taking a step towards him.

"Here let me get that." He offered, taking her duffle bag from her before setting it onto the floor beside them.

As he stood up again, she lifted herself up onto her toes and kissed him.

It was a slow, deliberate kiss on her part, her desire to have sex with him, coursing through her veins at full speed as she had looked at him just now.

"Wow. A little eager aren't we?" He teased after their lips had parted.

"You have no idea." She whispered up at him before kissing him again.

_She wanted him NOW….. Inside of her, on top of her, below her….anyway would be fine as long as she got to feel him becoming one with her._

When they parted this time, she quickly removed his shirt, his arms lifting to help her.

"Cuddy, are you…." House started to say, stopping for a moment has her hands moved towards his jeans, her nimble fingers unbuttoning them.

"I want to have sex with you." She confirmed, reading his thoughts, kissing his chest as she reached inside of his briefs.

He took in a sharp breath when she touched him and she found him already somewhat hard, her gentle strokes now causing a full erection in a matter of seconds.

Her words and actions set of a frenzy inside of House, his hands working feverishly to remove her coat, then her sweater, her bra cast aside, a gasp from her drifting into his ears as he took her left nipple into his mouth, her hand somehow managing to keep pleasuring him throughout the whole ordeal.

He wouldn't be able to take much more of that, his own ache inside of him, ready to explode with just the touch of her hand.

He knelt down before her to hold off on the eruption inside of him threatening to blow, undoing the button on her jeans and pulling the pants down to her ankles, watching as she toed off her shoes and shook herself free of the denim.

She gasped softly when his mouth pressed onto the lace panties she was wearing, his fingers sliding the panties down to her thighs as second later, his tongue gently licking at her clit.

"I want more than just this…..." She warned him with a shaky whisper, the sight of him, looking up at her when she spoke those words, sending a wave of excitement throughout her entire body.

"I plan to give you this and more." He told her, his voice a bit deeper.

She moved her hand to the side of her face, his words already making her wet with desire for him. "Say please." She challenged instead however, keeping her cool, keeping the wire of arousal tight between them both.

He gave her a very seductive grin loving the way she pushed and pulled the desire out of him and did as she asked. Well...sort of anyway..."Please let me put my tongue inside of you until I make you cum." He replied gripping her thighs a little tighter as he said those words to her.

Her smile told him she was pleased with his answer, the fact that he then quickly got up from him knees and pulled her over to the kitchen table, now leaving _him_ as the one who was surprising her and taking control. For now.

"Here?" She questioned, so turned on at that moment she could swear her entire body was shaking even though she could see her hand was steady as House took it in his own.

"Here." He confirmed, giving her hand a squeeze before lifting her up by her hips, hearing her taking in a startled breath as he sat her at the edge of the table.

"Easy, Cuddy …I haven't' even started yet." He told her with a devilish grin before getting down on his knees.

She watched him, her heart pounding inside of her chest as he opened up her legs, his strong hands pulling her a little closer to the edge of the table. "I'll fall." She whispered down to him with concern.

"I"ll catch you if you do." He whispered back up to her with a smile before placing a gentle kiss on her inner thigh, "Okay?" He then questioned, affectionately patting her hip.

She nodded and watched as he lowered his head, beginning to taste her with his warm tongue, her legs opening wider a few minutes later when he slipped it inside of her, dragged it back out slowly, the tip arching and tracing her internally.

Her hand went to his hair, her head falling back a bit, her legs starting to tremble, her mouth taking in another sharp breath just before his mouth suddenly moved to her inner thigh, biting down gently on the tender flesh.

She snapped her head down to look at him.

"Oh no you don't…...look at me Cuddy." He told her and she did, watching as he moved his tongue to her clit once more his eyes staring up at her, studying her reaction as he flicked the sensitive nub with the tip before kissing it.

"Fuck," she whispered, needing to close her eyes because of the intensity of the act, her entire body exposed to him willingly as he continued to massage her clit with his skillful tongue before stopping again.

"I _said_ eyes on me Cuddy." House reminded her with a low, stern whisper.

"_Come on House…_" She replied, looking down at him with ocean full of sexual frustration in her gaze.

"Of course if you can't do that….." he started to say with an evil smile.

"Shut up." She responded, giving the hair on his head a playful tug, her back arching when he suddenly buried his face between her thighs, his tongue now moving in and out of her with a steady rhythm, her fingers gripping onto the edge of the table when that same tongue moved up to her clit once again, her eyes remaining opening as she began to orgasm, looking down at him as he looked up at her tongue flatted on the most intimate part of her a finger being inserted inside of her just before the waves crashed over her.

She felt her lungs burning for oxygen, her head dizzy and her thighs trembling as his slowed his actions keeping her locked in his gaze and letting her ride out her orgasm to the fullest.

Her chest was still heaving when he rose to his feet, her legs weak as he scooped her up into his arms, carrying past the living and the bedroom, towards the bathroom.

"You look like you could use a cold shower." he said with a smile.

Even in her orgasmic daze, she hoped to god he was kidding with her.

###############################################################

The water was hot and soothing, and not cold like he had teased, the hands roaming her body as she stood under the stream of water, gentle, caressing her as he massaged her shoulders, continuing ease her down from her peak while getting her ready for the next round.

"Feeling steadier on your feet now?" House asked, kissing her earlobe as he stood behind her in the shower,

"Yes." She said with a pleased smile and nod, closing her eyes and allowing herself to get lost in her thoughts of him as the water continued to run over their naked bodies..

He was _amazing_, no…..strike that…he was _incredible_….or maybe there really wasn't a word to describe what he meant to her, his ability to have her aching for him, building up her desire before pulling her over the edge to such mind blowing orgasms a true gift, the way he knew how to please her, without hesitation and without asking for instructions could only mean one of two things, either he was a bookworm with sex like she had been or…...

"How many girls have you had sex with?" She asked, opening up her eyes.

"You don't want to know." He joked back at her.

She turned around, now facing him in the shower. "I do want to know." She assured him.

He looked down at her, his face a bit sad. "Five." He said.

She tried to hide the surprise in her face, sure he was a teenage boy, but House was only seventeen, which meant either he started having sex at a very young age, or...…or he had just used girls for sex and nothing more, discarding them as easily as a used tissue.

"Cuddy...you need to understand..." He stared to say, his hands holding onto her hips, hoping to god his confession just now would not send her packing by having her thinking she would be just another notch on his belt.

"I understand, you moved around a lot...you're a teenage boy and you have ..." She said, looking up at him while trying to find the rest of the words, trying to make sense of the number he had told her while her brain tried to remind her of how caring and thoughtful House really was, even though he did have an edge to him.

"Come on; let's get out of here so we can talk." He offered, reaching behind her and shutting off the water.

###############################################################

She was wearing one of his t-shirts he handed over to her after she toweled herself off, the length of the garment, leaving it to rest just above her knees, her long, dark hair… still damp with loose curls framing her face.

He had put on a pair of sweats before sitting down on his bed, patting the space next to him on the mattress as she stood silent before him. "Come here." He said to her softly.

He looked into her eyes for a moment when she sat next to him. "When I was a freshman in high school, my Dad got stationed in Germany and we moved next door to this young couple on the base, Jackson and Emily White. Emily was the first person I had sex with, even though she was married and even though I was only fourteen at the time."

Cuddy tires to wrap her head around what he has just said to her. "How old was _she_?" Is all can she think to say at the moment.

"Twenty –five." House replies, keeping his eyes on her, hoping she'll be able to hear him out fully.

Cuddy nods, letting him know she's heard his answer. "How did it happen? I mean if Emily was married…" She starts to say, deciding to stop speaking so he has a chance to explain himself to her.

"Emily's husband drank …...a lot, especially on the weekends when most young, married guys would be home with their wives, making up for lost time. And for a kid in a new country with nothing better to do, I decided to see what exactly was wrong with the pretty little housewife next door that made her husband so eager to stay the hell away from her. I had it all planned out, I'd offer to cut her grass and do some chores for her, since her hubby was usually too sloshed to do those things, that way I'd get to see up close if she was some kind of looney tune. Turns out there was nothing wrong with Emily, she was smart and funny and unlucky enough to marry some jerk who didn't appreciate her and after a while of me coming over to her place…. we ending up becoming friends until one day when I was in the kitchen with her, she kissed me out of the blue, then she took me by the hand and led me to her bedroom, and well...it's pretty easy to figure out the rest." House explains.

"Was it just that one time?" Cuddy asks, feeling more grounded then before, House's explanation thus far reaming true to his nature.

He shook his head. "No, it went on for three months, and during that time I've never had anyone in my life treat me they Emily did, like I was someone who mattered and well…. like a man…no matter how dumb that may seem." He replied pausing for a moment because of the way those old memories made him feel in the aftermath.

"It had to be a pretty amazing feeling." She replied back to him with a smile, lowering her eyes to his when she saw the way the old memory had hurt him.

He gave her a grateful smile, looking down at their hands again before he continued. "You see Emily showed me how to treat a woman during sex, teaching me things I had no clue about because up to that point I was lucky if I got to sneak a playboy magazine into my room. I was fourteen and feeling like the I was the king of the world, like nothing could stop me, like I finally understood what real love was all about, and then one day ….I heard my parents talking out in the living room late one night when they thought I was asleep, about how Emily had threatened to leave Jackson and how he had begged her not to, agreeing to quit drinking and do whatever it would take to keep her. I didn't' want to believe it, but the next day I knew it was true when I saw Jackson taking Emily out to breakfast. I know she saw me when they drove by in the car and I waved to her from my front yard as they passed by my house, but she turned and looked away. After that day she avoided me like the plague, like what we had between us never happened, like I never meant anything to her."

His voice had gotten softer as he spoke until it was down to a whisper, his eyes still looking at their hands clasps together, not willing to look into hers eyes as the sting of the memory was still fresh after all these years.

"I'm sorry House." Cuddy says, moving her hand to his shoulder, hoping he'll look up at her and see that none of this means anything to her as he is still the most amazing person she's ever met.

He let out a small laugh, before taking in a deep breath, ridding himself of the past. "Don't be sorry, Cuddy," he stars to say, his eyes meeting hers once more. "you're more of a woman than Emily ever was and I wouldn't have known that she hadn't kicked me to the curb." He tells her simply.

Cuddy feels her heart swell, her throat tighten, knowing she will never feel the same way about anyone else in her entire life, even though she's only sixteen, and even though she knows at some point they will be separated by the lives they have yet to live, she knows as long as walks on this earth, she will never _love_ anyone the way she loves House right now.

"So after things ended with Emily, I pretty much gave up on having those kind of feelings with another person and I spent the next few years hoping from base to base with my mom and dad, finding girls who wanted what I wanted, sex with no strings, or at least that's what some of them told me before changing their minds. Listen I know that doesn't…"

"I don't' care, I love you." She finds herself saying to him, watching his eyes widen with surprise.

She doesn't wait for him to answer back, leaning in and kissing him as if her very life depends on it, knowing that tonight she will show him how it feels to be truly loved by someone else who would never make him feel anything less to her than the most important person in her life.


	16. Chapter 16

**Remember when you were young? And in love? And couldn't keep your hands off your significant other? Yeah, well this chapter…ummmm….*fans self* is all in the name of young Huddy love ;)**

**Chapter 16**

After kissing him, Cuddy leaned back, removing the t-shirt House had given to her earlier before taking him by the hand and bringing him to his feet.

He watched her silently, the words she had said to him, about being in love with him, still sinking into his brain as she kneeled before him and began removing his pants.

He lifted his right leg, then left one so she could free him completely of the sweatpants and when she looked up at him and took him into her mouth, he felt a shiver run up his spine.

She kept her eyes on him, slowly moving her mouth up and down his erection, his right hand finding its way into the her hair, his fingers caressing her wanted this to be good for him, wanted him to see that pleasing him was something she loved to do, that giving him oral sex was just as thrilling for her as it was for him.

Looking down at her, House felt every part of him coming to life, the way she was looking up at him with those brilliant eyes as while her lips, mouth and tongue continued to work their magic, making it difficult for him to breathe.

"Cuddy." He said in a hoarse whisper a short while later when she pressed the tip of her tongue to underside of his cock, running it down the length of it while keeping the suction between her lips going strong.

Feeling his heightened arousal, Cuddy released him from her mouth. "Do you have a condom?" She asked, looking up at him.

"We don't have to..." House started to say, helping her to her feet.

He was a bit worried that what he had just told her about Emily may have made her feel sorry for him, or that she needed to prove to him how much she did love him by having sex with him which was not what he wanted, he would wait for her, he hoped she knew that, no mater how much sexual innuendo they had thrown at each other.

"House, I want to." She responded, placing her hand on his chest. "I've wanted to for weeks now." She added before giving him a kiss.

When they parted, Cuddy watched his eyes move over to the nightstand beside them, "There's some condoms in here." He told her, his hand reaching for the handle.

Once he had opened the drawer, Cuddy reached inside of it, pulling out one of the square foil packets from inside of it and carefully tearing the wrapper open before she placed the condom on his erection.

Meeting his eyes once more, she spoke to him. "Lay back on the bed." She told him, waiting until he his back was resting on the mattress before she positioned herself on top of him.

She kissed him again, tenderly... slowly before rising up from him a bit and taking him into her hand, guiding his erection to the apex of her thighs.

House watched Cuddy as she began to slowly sink down upon him, taking all of him inside of her inch by inch until there was no more of him to see, his pulse racing as she stared down at him her fingertips caressing his jaw, _she was so incredibly tight and warm, _ the sensation of finally being inside of her after weeks of fantasizing about it ...nearly making him cum right then and there.

She took in a sharp breath as she shifted her body forward a bit and he slipped a little deeper inside of her

"You okay?" He asked with concern, his hand cupping the side of her face.

"Yes." She said softly with a nod, giving herself a little time to adjust to the exquisite ache of him filling her completely before she started moving her hips in small deliberate circles, listening to the sound of House's breathing change as he looked up into her eyes, his hands holding onto her hips, her own breath becoming shaky when she felt a the tremor of desire start to build inside of her, the course of her motion changing as started to ride up an down on his hard cock, her mouth hungrily dipping down to his, sharing a kiss with him.

She came up for air, and found herself face to face with him, a soft cry escaping her lips as she tilted her pelvis and took him deeper inside of her..,,,,._this feeling_, this erotic and sacred act between the two of them, bringing along with it the type of emotions she had never experienced before during sex with Nick, a part of her becoming unhinged and completely set free from scouring her memory for the things she had read about in all those sex books, her body taking over and unleashing all the passion, desire and love she felt for House, that same body rising up to its knees, her hands now firmly planted on his chest as she leaned back from him bit, feeling herself becoming liquid and flowing with all the trappings of love talking her higher into this breathtaking combination of the two of them.

"I love the way you feel inside of me." She found herself saying to him, her voice on verge of trembling, her hips rocking, her back arching as she moved her hands back to his thighs.

"You feel so good, Cuddy." He whispered up to her in return, thinking he must be living in a dream, that beautiful girl on top of him, giving him everything she had was merely an illusion, however the steady grip he had on her hips told him otherwise, his eyes taking in every single nuance about her as she continued to gyrate on top of him, fulfilling every fantasy he ever had about her and more.

He moved his hands up to her breasts, squeezing them with just the right amount of pressure, his thumbs rubbing her nipples as she allowed him to go deeper and deeper inside of her until he wasn't sure where he had ended and she began.

"Geez Cuddy!" He cried out when he suddenly felt her tightening around him, moving his trembling hands back down to her hips and keeping her in place as she rode him with such incredible force and unbridled pleasure it was only a matter of seconds before his orgasm came racing up to the surface.

Cuddy cried out again when he bucked his hips up in time to meet her thrusts, her body leaning forward and creating a mind-blowing friction between her clit and his hot skin as she drove him home inside of her again and again, her hands latching on his biceps as her orgasm raged through her like a hurricane.

House felt everything he had inside of him release in a violent wave of passion, his eyes opening and watching Cuddy as her head fell back and her thighs trembled around him, his arms reaching out for her and pulling her close to him as they fell down from their peaks.

"I love you." He choked out into the softness of her hair and she repeated the words back to him, their bodies becoming limp in the aftermath, completely drained by the emotions they had shared, the two of them, gasping for air while their hearts threatened to burst free from their chests.

###############################################################

After making love for the first time, they had stayed close, with Cuddy easing herself over to House's side as he pulled a blanket around them, the two of them remaining silent as they watched the moon outside the window playing hide and seek with the clouds, their young minds running over what had just happened between them, the both of them knowing of course it had been so much more than just sex, it had been the kind of thing that would stay with them the rest of their lives.

"_So_...was it better with me or with Nick?" House finally said with a smirk as he stared up at the ceiling with one of his arms wrapped around her.

"Do you even have to ask?" Cuddy responded with a chuckle, slapping his chest with the back of her hand.

He turned to face her. "You were amazing." He informed her with a soft whisper while gazing into her face

"You don't have to say that." She replied, sure of her intellectual knowledge of sex, but smart enough to realize that as she matured she would hopefully become even more skilled at making love.

House rolled on top of her, his long legs quickly parting her shorter ones before he nestled in-between them. "Cuddy you _are _the best lover I've ever had. Granted, I've only had sex with a handful of girls myself, but I do watch a lot of porn and I should now." He teased.

"Ah there's the House I know and love." She teases back at him with a smile, watching as his face turns serious once more as he looks down upon her.

"All kidding aside Cuddy, I've never been with anyone who makes me feel the way you do." He told her, not waiting to hear what her response would be before he lowered is head and kissed her.

Cuddy felt her stomach turn in knots when House kissed her,the ache he had soothed earlier, now building once more as the words he had spoken to her settled into her brain, his mouth moving from her lips to her neck, his right hand now gently caressing her breast as her back arched to meet his touch, her body reacting to him like they had been made just for each other to enjoy, the fact that his erection was now pressing into her thigh, telling her that he was as hunger for more as she was.

"See what you do to me Cuddy? Do you think just anyone can make me stand at attention like this with my dick blowing in the breeze?" He whispered down to her, a clever smile upon his face.

She smiled back at him, the unconventional compliments he gave to her, making her love him even more, pulling her deeper and deeper into this glorious new found world of they had found. "I'm still not sure I believe you." She responded, knowing he would not hesitate in proving her wrong.

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to show then." He told her, watching her reaction as his fingers traveled over to the nightstand to retrieve another condom, keeping his eyes on her as he offered it to her so she could open it for him, a wave of electricity running up his spine as she told him to push up from her a bit so she could put it on for him.

"Now, where were we?" He questioned, keeping himself propped up on the palms of his hands before slowly starting to enter inside of her.

Cuddy let out a gasp, the effects of giving him all she had earlier, leaving her aching, but in a very good kind of way.

'You okay?" He asked as he kept perfectly still and not proceeding any further, wanting to make sure he wasn't hurting her considering it had been only a short time ago since the last time their bodies had joined together as one.

Cuddy nodded. "Just go slow." She requested and he did just that, until she asked him to go faster, until his thrusts became deep and urgent as she wrapped her legs around his waist, becoming completely undone in her passion as he breathed her name and came chasing after her.

###############################################################

It was midnight and Cuddy was famished as she sat naked on House's bed, eating Chinese food with him and watching Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi on the television.

"Wow Cuddy, getting fucked silly must really work up your appetite. Did you even chew or just inhale?" House commented over to her, trying his best not to laugh as she dropped her chopsticks into the white take-out box and glared at him.

"At least I'm not the one with Sesame chicken on my dick." Cuddy pointed out to him, glancing down between his legs.

House looked down at his dick and laughed. "Well I'll be damned. Hey Cuddy, would you mind getting that for me?" He asked, taking in a sharp breath a second later when she did just that with her lips and that warm tongue of hers.

"You know...you really at the best girlfriend ever." He told once she sat up again, swallowing the small morsel of food.

She smiled over a him, "You're not so bad yourself." She replied, finding him completely irresistible now, the aura of sexual and emotional fulfillment now surrounding her something she planned to hold onto with both hands.

"You look like you want fucked again." He teased, leaning in to kiss her, more the ready to go at it again if she was willing.

"You know what? We should go to the store tomorrow." She told him with a grin after their lips had parted.

"Why? Do you want something special I don't have here?" He replied, nodding over at the kitchen they had looked over together before ordering the Chinese food.

Cuddy moved her hand to his chest, her index finger tracing the small patch of hair residing there. "I was thinking of getting some whipped cream, and maybe some ice cream too... oh, and some hot fudge would be nice." She told him coyly.

House felt his cock twitch. "Thinking of making a hot fudge sundae?" He asked, looking into her eyes and wishing they were a few years older so he could have her stay here with him for as long as she wanted.

"Actually, I was thinking of _being _the hot fudge sundae." She replied with a grin already imaging how amazing it would feel to have House licking her clean of the sweet, sticky treats _and_ how she would be more than willing to do the same for him, if he was up for it.


	17. Chapter 17

**Before you start the chapter I just wanted to thank everyone who has being leaving reviews for this story. It's great to read how much you enjoy the chapters, the Huddy hotness, the Boogerman lol, Cuddy's parent's dancing, as well as House's past experience with an older woman. Seeing these kind of reviews is really the icing on the cake for me as I am having a blast writing this fic! Thanks again :)**

**Chapter 17**

"I don't want you to go." House whispered down to Cuddy as he held her in his arms.

It was around 11 am on Sunday afternoon and the sun was shining down on them during the brisk Autumn day, the two of them, standing at the bottom of the stairs that led up to House's loft.

Cuddy smiled up at him, her hands placed upon his chest "Well ...hopefully your parents will go out of town more often so we can do this again." She replied just before kissing him, hoping her statement would ring true, at least one more time for them.

From the road, a car honked its horn, causing them both to look over in its direction, the driver behind the wheel, none other than Becca, who had just arrived here after calling them from a pay phone a short while ago.

"Stay here a minute while I strangle that annoying bimbo." House said, removing his hands from Cuddy's waist as Becca waved over at them cheerfully from the driver's side of the car.

Cuddy grabs his arm when House turns towards the girl. "Be nice; remember that _bimbo_ is the reason I got to stay here with you in the first place." She reminds him.

"Fine, I'll let her live..._for now_." House says in his best menacing voice as Cuddy rolls her eyes at him and reaches for his hand, guiding him towards Becca's car.

"So I'll call you tonight then, okay?" She says to him as they reach the passenger side of the car.

House nods, however when Cuddy goes to give him a peck on the lips, he pulls her into a deep and passionate kiss instead, making sure to give her everything she deserves for being so spectacular this weekend, his hands moving down to her ass in an instant, his fingers giving both cheeks a hardy squeeze, the corners of his mouth curling a bit into a smile, even though he had his tongue in her mouth after she released a muffled yelp of surprise into his mouth.

You're lucky you're such a good kisser, or I would have punched you in the throat just now for doing that." Cuddy whispered to him as they parted, her body slightly off-balance after such an impressive display of affection by him.

He smiled down at her, noticing she was a bit unsteady on her feet. "Still a little saddle sore from fucking me like crazy all weekend?" He asked her with a gleam in his eyes.

"House, shut up." Cuddy warns, _hoping to god_ Becca did not overhear what House had just said to her as from the corner of her eye, she noticed the cheerleader proceeded to lean over and roll down the window on the passenger side of the car.

"Guys, I'm sorry, but we really need to go, my parents are expecting me home any minute." Becca informed them both, apparently none the wiser regarding House's last words to Cuddy.

"Okay, sorry Becca." Cuddy agreed, turning around to give House one last peck and quickly moving her mouth away from his when he tried to go in for another deep, drawn out kiss.

"See you later cowgirl." House whispered to her as she reached for the door.

"Behave." Cuddy scolded to him; however admittedly feeling strangely aroused at how boldly he had been in making out with her in front of Becca.

"Never, especially not after all the fun we've had this weekend." He told her with a grin, wiggling his eyebrows at her before crouching down and glancing over at Becca in the driver's seat.

"Make sure you take care of my little rodeo star and get her home safely." He told the blonde, who of course gave him a confused look.

"Uhhh okay? See ya later House." Becca replied.

Cuddy rolled her eyes at him when he returned his gaze to her. "Goodbye, House." She said as he stood up from the window.

"Goodbye, Cuddy." He responded, feeling like a millions bucks as they took off and she smiled back at him and waved, knowing that after making out with her in front of Becca, the dimwitted cheerleader would tell the entire school about what had just happened, insuring that everyone and anyone would know how much Cuddy was into_ him_ and any attempts by the other guys in school to garner her attention would be futile at best.

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"I guess I don't even have to ask if you and House had sex this weekend." Becca said from the passenger seat with a grin as they turned down the road that led away from House's place.

Cuddy held back her own grin. "House just likes to show off." She replied dismissively.

"Apparently so do you, considering how eager you were to suck face with him just now, even with me around." The cheerleader pointed out to her.

The comment surprised the hell out of Cuddy, as the girl seated next to her had never been the brightest when it came to verbal jabs.

"What about you and Jason? Did the two of you end up having sex?" Cuddy asked, steering the conversation away from her relationship with House.

"We did." Becca confessed immediately, "I didn't think it would hurt as much as it did though." She added, almost shyly.

"It' gets better, you just have to take things slow at first." Cuddy assures her. "So did you use protection?" She asked next.

Becca nodded, "Yeah we did, but ...well….I think it would feel better for Jason if we didn't use a condom the next time." She said, keeping her eyes on the road.

Cuddy frowned. "Becca you have your entire life ahead of you. Please don't do anything stupid."

Becca let out sigh, keeping her eyes on the road. "Lisa, I love Jason, and it doesn't matter to me if we run away and get married tomorrow because I know he's the only guy I want."

"Becca, you're sixteen, surely you have more goals in life than marrying Jason." Cuddy tried pointing out to her.

Beccca shook her head. "Look, I know I'm not as smart as you Lisa, but I know what I _want_ ...and I already know how to be a good wife from helping my mom raise my brothers and sisters, and that's what I want, even if it seems stupid to you." The cheerleader said in her defense.

"I never said it was stupid, I just think you need to at least wait a couple of years before making such a commitment." Cuddy replied.

As they came to a stop sign, Becca pressed her foot on the brake and turned to look at her.

"Lisa, I know you're my friend, but this is _my life_ and I'll do whatever the hell I want ...and what I want is to be with Jason, and be his wife as soon as he gets his football scholarship so I can be right there with him when he makes it to the NFL. You'll see we'll have the perfect life."

###############################################################

When she had first arrived home, Cuddy had went up to her bedroom, thinking about her conversation with Becca and trying to come up with a way to get through to the girl, however because of a lack of sleep and some very strenuous but delightful physical activities she had engaged in this weekend with House, she quickly grew tired of analyzing the seemingly hopeless situation and headed downstairs instead, offering to help her Father make dinner as her Mom was busy showing a house to a client.

"Go outside and help your sister put up the Halloween decorations." Her father had told her with a smile, refusing her offer of help as he actually enjoyed the chance to cook every now and then for his family.

During dinner that night with her family, Cuddy had eaten just as ravenously as she did the first night she had spent with House after having sex with him….. twice, not including the first time he had performed oral sex on her after her lifting her up on the kitchen table, the fact that they had sex three times on Saturday as well as once before Becca came to get her today, the obvious cause for her body's urgent need to replenish her calories

As she sat at the table, making sure to chew her food instead of just inhaling it, Cuddy thought back to the naked body sundaes she had made with House yesterday, and how the combination of the cold ice cream with House's hot tongue on her body had been sexually amazing ….to say the very least.

"Lisa?" He mother says, pulling her back into the present.

"I'm sorry, what?" Cuddy replies.

"I just asked you how the dance marathon went. Did you have a good time and did you get a chance to rest at some point?" Her mother repeats, only arriving home a short while ago.

"It was awesome mom, practically everyone from the school was there, but I really didn't get a chance to rest and I am pretty tried from dancing all weekend." Cuddy responds, while in her mind she replaces 'dancing' with 'fucking House', the smile starting to rise upon her face, needing to be stifled before her mother questions her peculiar grin.

Thinking quickly, Cuddy grabs for the glass in front of her, intent on taking a sip of it in order to wash down the smile threatening to take over her face as her father addresses her.

"Well, it sounds like you had a fantastic time, but I bet your legs must be killing you." Joseph Cuddy says from the opposite end of the table.

Cuddy nearly chokes on her water.

_Oh god…if her father only knew…_

The thought, making her very uncomfortable as her father smiles over at her from the other end of the table.

"How come nobody asked me about _my weekend_?" Julia whines from across the table.

Cuddy breathes as sigh of relief as her parents now focus on her younger sister while Julia begins to tell them about her sleepover at her best friend's on Saturday night, allowing Cuddy to drift back into her thoughts of House.

She already misses the fee tall, lean body against hers, the way he seems so full of a wild and unrelenting energy whenever he's on top of her, or underneath her, or behind her, like when they did it standing up in the shower last night, or better still, when he had placed her hands, against the wall in his bedroom pulling her hips back at bit as he stood behind her, entering into her slowly, the incredible sensation of him thrusting inside of her from that direction, having them both reaching their orgasms in no time.

Her current thoughts were making her start to question if she is really a nymphomaniac, considering that she simply cannot get enough of him at this point

_It wouldn't be the worst thing I could be, as long as I was a monogamous nymphomaniac, _Cuddy thinks to herself with a grin.

"Lisa, do you want any desert?" He mother says, rousing her daughter from her seductive thoughts of House once more and having no idea her eldest child is now completely and utterly in love and in lust with Gregory House.

###############################################################

Later that night and after she was sure her sister as well as her parents were fast asleep, Cuddy had snuck downstairs, stretching the phone cord from where it hung on the kitchen wall to inside the pantry where she sat on the floor, with the door closed and the light off, thankful that House's parents had allowed him to have a phone up in the loft, while equally thankful that House had unplugged the phone in his parents kitchen after they had fallen asleep tonight, just like he said he would, so that only the two of them would be on the line.

"Come over." He told her, as she wrapped her index finger around the phone cord.

"I can't, besides…. you just saw me a couple of hours ago." She whispered back to him with a smile.

"Exactly, I _saw _you, but I didn't get to put my hands, or my mouth, or my _enormous_ dick in or on any of your fun parts after you left today." He argued with a smile of his own.

"You're so poetic; I don't know how I'm able resist such sweet musings, but I think I'll pass." She replied, rolling her eyes at him, even though he couldn't see her.

"Come on Cuddy, you know I'll make it worth your while." He whispered to her seductively, his voice a bit deeper and filled with such tempting promises.

"I can't it's too big of a risk, especially considering I lied about where I was all weekend." She countered, knowing sneaking out tonight would be pushing her luck a bit too far.

"But that's what makes it so fun, the thrill of getting caught and the reward of getting off." He told her, hoping like hell she'd go with her heart instead of her head when it came to his request.

###############################################################

Twenty minutes later Cuddy was back at House's place, her clothes cast aside in a matter of minutes after he had met her at the front door to the loft, wearing only his briefs ready for action, the two of them now standing face to face, both of them now gloriously naked with Cuddy being lifted onto the kitchen table once more by House, her teeth biting down gently on his neck after he released her lips from his own.

"We have to hurry. I can't be gone too long." She whispered into his flesh, her legs wrapping around his waist.

"Then I guess I've got to make sure you get off quickly." He whispered down to her, his hands removing her legs from around his waist and opening them up wider.

She looked up at him and swallowed hard, her hand running down his chest, the condom he was wearing, having already been placed on his erection by her. Her body, needing him so much it hurt.

"Just keep your knees bent and I'll go slow." He told her, gently lowering her onto the table until her back met the oak surface, her leg reamaing open, ready to recieve him.

Cuddy nodded and held her breath, her hands grabbing onto his wrists as he took hold of her hips and started to enter inside of her as he stood before her.

"Too much?" He asked, before going any further, even though it was toture to halt his progress.

"No." She whispered, a soft moan escaping her mouth when he slowly pushed himself all the way inside of her.

He studied her face and watched the breaths she took as he started to move in and out of her, making sure she was okay, knowing that neither of them would last very long in this position as she felt incredible at this angle.

"Faster." She told him a few seconds later, letting him know she was ready, her brain overcome with the fact that he was keeping her pinned onto the table with his large hands that were so strong and yet so delicate in their pressure as they held her in place.

House sped up his thrusts, his hips pumping into her more steadily, more forcefully than before, her rapid breathing, laced in-between her soft cries of pleasure only adding to his own excitement now that he was able to penetrate her deeply and underneath the glow of the fluorescent light above the table that illuminated her incredible body, her breasts bouncing from his actions, her eyes remaining focused on him.

Cuddy cried out again, her body on fire at being fucked so thoroughly by him, her mind checking out early, leaving only the primal side of her behind, the side that made her knees rise up to House's sides, allowing him go deeper still, hearing him curse harshly into the air around them before saying her name, his hands trembling, and a bit slippery from the sweat of her body as he kept hold of her, hitting her g-spot with every thrust as the table protesting with a howling squeal as she climaxed while he continued to drive himself relentlessly inside of her, her back arching and taking all of him as she felt him come charging after her.

The next thing she knew, Cuddy was staring up at House, trying her damdest to breathe and fill her lungs of some much needed oxygen, a drip of sweat falling from his forehead and landing between her breasts.

"That's was good." She managed to say with a weak smile, relaxing her hold on his wrists.

"That was fucking fantastic," House replied lowering his mouth to give her a kiss before carefully pulling her up into a seated position while remaining standing in front of her and keeping himself inside of her.

She let out a soft laugh, her legs wrapping around his waist, her lips kissing his chest before resting her cheek there. "I have to go." She whispered, listening to the sound of his heartbeat as her arms held him close.

"I know." He replied, his right hand caressing her back, the other one, lost in the softness of her hair at the nape of her neck.

And yet neither of them made a move to release themselves from each other, the contact, the post coital bliss they were sharing, far too sweet to turn loose from, at least not just yet.

"I really need to go." Cuddy finally said, looking up at him, her chin resting on his chest, the both of them still joined together.

"I know." House repeated... and this time, he regretfully eased himself out from inside of her, still semi hard as she had that kind of effect on him, his eyes watching her as she removed the condom from him and tossed it into the trash next to them before he placed his hands on her hips, helping her off the kitchen table, the same table he would never look at the same way again, not after tonight, and certainly not after this weekend.

After she got dressed ,she came to him again, a small smile on her face as he had just stood there, buck-naked inside of his kitchen with a dazed expression on his face, silently watching her.

"I'll pick you up on my way to school tomorrow, okay?" She said caressing his cheek.

"Okay," He said, with nod before pulling her close for one last kiss.

###############################################################

After sneaking back into the house, Cuddy carefully closed the kitchen door behind her, breathing a sigh of relief as she returned from her little tryst with House, fully satisfied and ready for sleep.

Turning around she let her eyes adjust to the darkness in the room, intent on making her way back up to her bedroom without making a sound before crawling under her covers and closing her eyes.

"You know, I was starting to wonder if I would ever need to have this conversation with you." Her mother's voice said from across the room, just before the light above the kitchen table was turned on, illuminating the face of a very beautiful, but very concerned parent.

"Mom ..I." Cuddy started to say, her mind already trying to decide on the lie she would tell.

"Sit down." Arlene told her daughter firmly, pointing to the empty chair beside her.

Cuddy sat down immediately, feeling the heat of her mother's gaze upon her, knowing that when her Mom was truly pissed off at her, which didn't happen very often, it was best to do as she asked.

"So who's the boy?" Her mother asked.

"Mom, there's no boy…I just…." Cuddy tried to say.

"Lisa, I'm giving you one chance to tell me his name before I wake up your father so you can tell us _both_ about the boy you snuck out to see tonight. And after that, I'll be asking you various questions about sex that will have you squirming in your seat until the word _intercourse_ will leave you with a nervous tic for the rest of your life."

_When it came to interrogation tactics, Arlene Cuddy could have worked for the CIA._

Cuddy looked down at her hands, knowing her mother would make good on her threat. The two of them, already having some very frank talks about sex well before Nick and House had come into her life. Her mother's honesty when it came to sex, a blessing and a curse all rolled into one as she was often honest to the point of being incredibly embarrassing when discussing such things with her teenage daughter.

"His name is Greg House." Cuddy confessed, looking up into her mother's eyes, silently thankful that she had gotten away with sneaking out numerous times before this without being caught, hoping if she played her cards right, she'd be able to get away with it again.

"I see, and was Greg at the dance marathon with you this weekend as well?" Her mother asked.

_So, she didn't know about the weekend - only about tonight, _Cuddy thought, the fact giving her a little more to go on.

"No, he wasn't which is why I…"

"Are you having sex with him, Lisa?" Her mother says, cutting her off and going right for the kill, or rather... the topic that was of most importance to her.

"Mom, please…I …"

"Lisa, if you want to act like an adult, you need to start talking like one." Arlene tells her in no uncertain terms, hoping things with this boy have not gone that far yet, but prepared none the less if they have.

"Yes." Cuddy tells her mother, keeping her gaze upon her instead of turning away.

"And you're taking your birth control pills?"

"Mom, you don't have to worry, I know what to do." Cuddy starts to say, cringing, after hearing the way the words have just come out of her mouth, the heat of a blush rising instantly to her cheeks.

"I'm glad you do, Lisa." Her mother responded, holding back her smile, finding a least some amusement in this very delicate subject. "However you are only sixteen and you better pray to god this guy you're seeing is not over eighteen."

"He's not, he's seventeen." Cuddy quickly says.

Internally, Arlene breathed a sigh of relief, "Well at least that saves me from committing murder tonight." She remarks over to her daughter, her secret fear over these past few years being that one day Lisa would take off with some brilliant son of a bitch who would be obscenely older than her just to prove that she could.

"Mom, I know you're disappointed in me, but –"

"I never said I was disappointed in you, Lisa." Arlene quickly tells her daughter. "However I am worried for you after finding out you've taking such a big step in a physical relationship with this boy at such a young age, and hope that you're mentally able to handle all the emotions that come from having sex. I'll also be worried that in spite of your best intentions and all that we've discussed regarding safe sex, you might end up pregnant, or with an STD, but I'll never be disappointed in you for having sex, only if it gets in the way of all the goals you have for yourself, or if you end up letting the relationship you have with this boy define who you are."

Cuddy sat in silence for a moment, going over everything her mother had said to her, thanking her lucky stars that she had a mother who actually _did_ talk to her about sex, a mother who saw all the good in her even when she strayed a bit.

"Thanks, mom." She said softly, genuinely.

"Oh don't thank me yet, Lisa." Arlene says, placing her hand over her daughter's hand while giving her a smile, "You see , now that I know you're having sex, I'm going to make _my mission_ to get to know this Greg House of yours. In fact we can start by having him over dinner tomorrow night. Also, your driving privileges will be limited to trips to the school and back, and to tutor your classmates. Any other trips will need to be approved by me first, and chaperoned if necessary. Understand?"

"Yes, mom." Cuddy replies, already feeling the parental vice being squeezed around her, hoping like hell it doesn't succeed in squeezing House out of her life as well.


	18. Chapter 18

**Don't know if I'll have time to write this weekend, so I hope you enjoy this chapter in the meantime ;)**

**Chapter 18**

After picking up House the next day, Cuddy had waited until she parked her car in front of the school before she told him about her mother catching her sneaking in last night as well as to her confession to her mother about the two of them having sex.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me? Your Mom knows I'm screwing you?" House reacted with disbelief.

"I'm afraid so. And she told me she wants you to come over for dinner tonight so she and my Dad can meet you." Cuddy confirmed from the driver's seat.

"You know something? You _suck _at sneaking around." He grumbled over to her.

She gave him a glare. "Well if you could have just keep it in your pants for a few hours, we wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place." She countered.

He glared right back at her. "I didn't hear you complaining when I was banging your brains out on the kitchen table? In fact I think your exact words were…. _faster _and _ooooh GOD_."

Cuddy wondered if she could strangle him inside of her the car without getting caught, but realized there were far too many witness around as her classmates walked by her car, so, she cleared her throat instead and spoke once more, trying to make him see reason.

"Regardless of who's to blame here, the fact is... if you want to keep banging my brains out, you'll need to come to dinner tonight." She stressed to him.

House gave her a look of displeasure, not really wanting to meet her parents, however equally not wanting to stop having sex with her either.

"Fine, but you need to fill me in on _exactly_ what your parents is like so they don't end up welding a chastity belt on you once they get to meet the guy who's screwing you senseless." He agreed.

###############################################################

"Come on Cuddy." House whined softly, the two of them sitting next to each other in study hall a few hours later.

"Are you nuts? I'm trying to get us out of trouble, not sink deeper into it." She whispered back at him.

"Speaking of sinking deeper." Her replied, his eyes lowering to that tempting little skirt of hers and to where her legs were crossed at her thighs.

"Forgot it." She said, shutting him down.

He let out a huff, his eyes glancing up at the teacher who was on the verge of falling asleep at his desk.

"I promise we won't get caught." He assured her.

She gave him a look of _you are so full of shit_. "Yeah, right." She whispered.

He leaned closer to her. "Do you really think I _want_ us to get caught? Come on Cuddy, I know you want to just as badly as I do." He reasoned to her.

_Okay, she did want him, and loved have sex with him, and could care less about what anyone in her life thought about it because, well…the sex was just so damn good between them, better than she had ever imagined it could be as she explored these feelings with him._

"Tell me where first." She then said to him, watching the smile move up onto his face before he spoke.

###############################################################

"It's freezing up here!" Cuddy hissed as she rubbed her shoulders, the two of them, now standing side by side on the flat roof of the high school and looking out at the sprawling landscape behind the building.

House was freezing his ass off too, having come up here about five minutes before she had appeared, the both of them using the excuse of needing to use the bathroom as they had left their separate classes.

"Focus Cuddy, we have to make this quick, remember?" House said, determined to pull off this little sexcapade between them as he took his place behind her.

"Mmmm you smell good, new perfume?" He then whispered into her ear, moving her hair to the side before kissing her neck.

"You like it?" She asked with a smile as he continued to kiss her neck, his hands resting on her hips.

"It's a guaranteed boner magnet." He replied with a grin, his hands moving down from her waist to the hem of her skirt.

"Shit! Your fingers feel like icicles!" Cuddy exclaimed at his hands moved to her bare skin.

"Funny, I thought you'd like that considering how much you liked the ice cream the other night." House countered, moving his right hand into her panties and pressing his middle finger into her clit.

Cuddy took in a sharp breath, the extremely cold digit, sending a shock wave of arousal deep inside of her, instead of causing her to turn away from the sensation as she had thought it would.

"See this isn't so bad now. Is it?" He whispered as she allowed him to continue, his cold finger intent on warming her up nicely.

_No, it wasn't bad at all; in fact it was pretty fucking amazing_, Cuddy thought, leaning her head back against his chest as her breath hitched in her throat, her legs opening up wider as her body began to respond to his touch.

A few short minutes later House was inside of her, standing behind her and sheathed in a condom, her panties stuffed into the pocket of his jeans, his hands pulling her hips back towards him as she leaned forward...just a bit, granting him further access to her as she breathed through her nose, her mouth closed in order to muffle any moans or cries of pleasure which may threatened to escape her.

###############################################################

It hadn't taken them long to fall into the waves of their orgasms and Cuddy knew the thrill of them getting away with something like that was partly why it had been so fulfilling for the both of them.

Looking at her reflection in the second floor bathroom inside the school where she now stood, she pressed the palms of her hands onto her cheeks, trying to warm them so the red blush on her face would disappear, thankful that her seventh period class was taught by Mister Jackson, who didn't really give a shit what they did in class as long as his students continued to ace their assignments which in turn made him look good. The fact that the class Mr. Jackson taught was called _Advanced Artistic expression_, otherwise known as …painting, drawing and sculpting things, pretty much a shoo in for everyone to succeed in if they at least made half an effort.

When she returned to class, Mr. Jackson glanced at her briefly, giving her a smile before he continued his debate with a male student on whether or not any of the great artists of the renaissance period were high when they created their masterpieces, of course Mr. Jackson believe that most of them were.

###############################################################

"Where in the hell did you go just now? I really need your help with this." Tom asked House as the guy walked up beside him.

The two of them were partners in the auto body class; the both of them, now standing beside the Chevy Nova they were _supposed_ to be working on together, the hood of the car, currently up as the football player toyed with the carburetor, putting it back in place after replacing some of the parts.

"Went up to the roof to get high." House lied, deciding after the first few weeks in shop class with Tom, befriending the hefty linebacker would be in his best interest. The decision, paying off greatly considering he was currently have sex with the girl who the football player had sworn to his big brother, namely Cuddy's ex, that he would protect from such advances.

"Shit, you should have asked me to come." Tom said, a bit disappointed, but still managing to work on the car none the less.

"Maybe next time." House said while thinking about what a turn-on it had been to hear Cuddy muffle the sounds she made when he had been driving up into her from behind like a jack hammer.

"Man that must have been some really good stuff, considering the way you're grinning from ear to ear right now." Tom commented over to him after noticing House's expression.

"You have no idea." House replied, the smile on his face, never fading as he picked up a wrench and leaned over the car...just as their shop teacher moseyed on into class, the man in charge, notoriously known for showing up only after half the period was over.

###############################################################

"You look nice!" Cuddy said with a wide smile as she greeted House at the door later that night.

He was wearing jeans, but had put on a blue dress shirt over his t-shirt, one that brought out the color of his eyes.

"Yeah, I still don't think it's going to be enough to win over your parents." He replied dryly.

Just then the door opened wider beside Cuddy.

"Greg, I'm so glad you could make it." Arlene Cuddy said with a smile.

House had only seen Cuddy's mom from a distance when he had spied on her and her husband from his vantage point in the bushes, however now that he was viewing her up close, he could immediately see the resemblance Cuddy shared with her mother, the eyes, the shape of her nose, and that smile of hers.

"Well, just don't stand there, come in." Arlene said to the tall boy at her doorstep who had remained silent.

House nodded, dreading the encounter he was about to take partake in. However, his mood was lifted a bit when Cuddy took hold of his hand and led him through the living room and to the dining room.

Cuddy had of course had already filled him regarding her parents in order to get him prepared for the meeting, telling him that her Dad was a doctor who owned a family practice in town and that he was also the softie of the pair when it came to disciplining their children. It was also obvious to House that Cuddy adored her father by the way her eyes would light up when she spoke of him.

Her mother, on the other had was the hard ass of the duo, and the one who pushed Cuddy to excel in her classwork. Her mother was also the type of person who could smell out a bullshitter from a mile away according to Cuddy, as well as the one who instilled confidence in her daughter at a very young age.

To his surprise though, even though Cuddy's mother may be hard on her at times, she respected the woman immensity, telling him of how her mother had forged her own path into the real estate business with very little experience but a whale's heart full of ambition, educating her daughters along the way by telling them they should never settle for what was expected of them, and go beyond the norm every chance they got.

However the best thing he had learned from Cuddy about her mom had been that Arlene did not restrict her education of her eldest daughter to simply intellectual matters as she had sat down with Cuddy once she had her first period, and explained to her that sexuality was not something she should not be ashamed, and that later on in life sex itself was something she should enjoy with someone she loved, as her needs were just as important as her future sexual partners would be. A fact House now thought of with amusement as he followed Arlene into the dining room, considering he was currently reaping the rewards of Mama Cuddy's refreshing views on sex.

"Joe, this is Greg." Arlene said as they entered into the dining room, her husband and youngest daughter busy setting the table.

"Nice to meet you, Greg." Joe Cuddy said with an easy smile, offering the young man his hand.

Cuddy's dad was an inch taller than him, and with a firm grip and a sturdy build that assured House he could beat he living crap out of him if he wound up hurting his daughter, no matter how much Cuddy had emphasized his gentle nature.

"Actually I prefer to be called House." He replied, already making up his mind to be himself, _okay maybe not quite himself_, but as close to himself as he could be considering Cuddy's words of warning to him about bullshitting her mother.

"House..._hmm_….I kind of like that." Arlene said with an amused grin as she looked over at her husband and the young man who was auditioning for their approval.

"And he calls Lisa, _Cuddy_." Julia piped up from beside her father, giving House an evil grin.

"And how would you know that sweetie?" Joe asked his daughter.

"House dropped by one night to return a book I had let him borrow." Cuddy said, quickly intervening.

House held back his smile; Cuddy really was great at lying, her face remaining calm and collected as she skirted around the potential land mine.

"Is that so?" Arlene replied, looking over at her eldest daughter, "And what book would that be?"

"My SAT prep book. House is taking his second set of SAT's in a couple of weeks." Cuddy replied casually.

"Oh great. What college are hoping to attend, Greg…I mean House." Her father asked.

"Cambridge University in Boston." House answered without hesitation.

"That's a very good school." Joe said, impressed so far with what he had seen of his daughter's boyfriend.

As they sat down at the table, House went on to tell both of Cuddy's parents about his interest in Physics as well as how he had secured a spot on the track team before moving on to the subject of music, knowing (thanks to Cuddy), that both of her parents loved all types of music and were passionate about the subject.

When Arlene and Joe excused themselves and stepped inside the kitchen to get dessert, House placed his hand on Cuddy's knee as she sat beside him, the smile she gave him in return, leaving him with some very delectable thoughts about throwing her up on the dining room table and having his dessert right now.

"You're doing great." She whispered over to him, placing her hand over his and giving it a squeeze.

"He's such a dork." Julia said from across the table, making a face at him while playing with her fork.

House narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Just wait till I come over next time with a bag full of spiders for your hair." He warned.

"You're so dumb, like that would _ever_ happen." Julia said.

A moment later, however… Julia let out a scream when House stretched his leg over to her side of the table, carefully using the tip of his sneaker to brush against her bare ankle.

"Everything okay in here?" Cuddy's father asks as he enters back into the room, carrying in an apple pie.

"Julia thought she saw a bug." Cuddy replied, sticking her tongue at her younger sister, once her father headed back into the kitchen to retrieve some plates.

"House, would you please come in here and help me?" Her mother called from the kitchen a minute later.

Cuddy felt her stomach sink as she looked over at her boyfriend.

"Just be nice." She warned House with a soft whisper as her father appeared in the dining room once more.

"Good luck, House." Joe said knowingly, patting the boy's shoulder as he got up and moved past him.

##############################################################

"Do you really wear preppy stuff like that?" Arlene asked House, pointing to his dress shirt as they stood face to face inside the kitchen

"No." House answered honestly.

"Then take it off and be comfortable for god's sake." Arlene ordered.

House held back his smile and removed the dress shirt, watching as she took it from him and placed it onto the coat hook beside them. Arlene was every bit the spit fire Cuddy had said she was and he was intrigued by her.

"Pink Floyd huh?" She then said, referring to the black t-shirt he had worn underneath the shirt. "Guess that means you're a fan of weed then too, right?"

House paused, just for a moment, "From time to time." He confessed before quickly adding "And you?"

He knew it was a risky move asking such a question, but he was not going to back down or sling some bullshit Arlene's way in an effort to appease her as she began to interrogate him.

"Well, at least you're not an ass kisser." She replied.

"You didn't answer my question. "He challenged.

He watched as she took a step towards him, thankful she wasn't holding a knife, because of the way her eyes looked up at him right now.

"I grew up in the sixties, and I was young once too." She then replied, much to House's surprise and delight.

He kept his own gaze steady though, his lips void of a smile that may come off as him being cocky.

Arlene kept her face void of emotion as well, walking past him and checking to make sure her family was in the midst of conversation at the dining room table before she walked directly up beside him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Do your parents know you're having sex with my daughter?" She then questioned to him before casually taking her place in front of him once more.

"No." House replied.

She smiled, sweetly... and a bit evilly. "And what do think your parents would say if I told them?" She asked, testing to see if he would unravel before her or, go the typical bad boy route by telling her to fuck off.

"My Dad would probably want to send me to military school and my mom would probably just sit there and agree with my Dad like she always does."

Arlene studied the boy, her attempt to rattle him, met with a straightforward honesty she had not been prepared for.

"Where did say you lived again?" She questioned.

"I didn't, but since you're asking now, 124 Chestnut Lane." He replied.

She ran the address through her memory. "_Of course_, I sold that place to your parents months ago, John and ...Blythe House, right?" She recalled.

"That's them." House confirmed.

As he had answered her, Arlene conjured up the image of the hard-nosed military man and his beautiful, however somewhat timid wife from her memory, House's reply as to what their reaction would be at hearing such news of their son's extracurricular activities with her daughter, in line with her first impression of the couple.

"You live up in the loft?" She then asked, almost knowingly.

"Yes." He replied.

"Ever take my daughter up there?"

"To study."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Maybe more than study." House answered, Arlene's questions, leaving him a bit on edge as he was not sure if she was getting ready to explode, or quite frankly…. would begin schooling him on how to keep Cuddy satisfied, either way he was interested in seeing what would happen during the conversation between the two of them as her face took on a peculiar and dangerous look.

"You wear a condom, _every time_…you understand me?" Arlene stressed to him a second later before continuing, "Because when you head off for college next fall and end up breaking Lisa's heart, I don't want to deal with a grandchild, or an abortion, or some god awful disease you forget to mention to her on top of me trying to console her." She additionally warned, standing toe to toe with the young man who could easily derail all of her daughter's dreams with just one act of unprotected sex.

House clenched his jaw, the emotions stirring inside of him now... potentially lethal to his relationship with Arlene's daughter if he failed to keep them in check.

"Your daughter's dream of going to college and becoming a doctor is just as important to me as it is to her, which means I'd _never_ leave her alone to deal with any of those scenarios you brought up just now. I'm also free of any STD's, but in case you don't believe me, I'm more than happy to grant you a visual exam so you can see for yourself." He responded, his anger, slipping into the end of the conversation before he had a chance to stop it.

He flinched on instinct when Arlene raised her hand to him, however, she only ended up gently patting the side of his face, instead of striking him like her daughter had done a few months ago.

"Just remember I'm trusting you with one of the two most precious things in my life. Don't make me regret that... or I'll have to track you down an castrate you in your sleep." She said, giving him a smile before walking back into the dining room.

"_Holy shit_." House whispered to himself with amusement after Arlene had left, deciding that getting to know Cuddy's parents might not be that bad after all, in fact it may be pretty fun.

###############################################################

"So, first impressions of our young suitor?" Joe says to his wife, walking up to Arlene as she looks down at the dark street from their bedroom window.

It was close to ten o'clock, and the house was still, with Julia fast asleep in the room next to them while Lisa was still awake in her bedroom, taking one last look at the science project she had due tomorrow.

"House is a jackass, but in a good kind of way." Arlene whispers over to her husband as he places his hands on her shoulders.

Joe smiled, resting his chin on the crown of her head as he looked out the window with her. "Funny, when I'm being a jackass, you don't think of me in a good way at all."

She turned and made a face at him before becoming serious once more.

"I know we can't stop them from having sex, but I hope to god they're both as careful about it as they claim to be." She tells him.

This time, its Joe who makes a face, one that speaks of mental, rather than physical anguish.

"You know, it still kind of hard for me to know my little girl isn't so innocent anymore." He confides to her.

Arlene wraps her arms around him, placing her head on his chest.

"We both knew it would happen someday Joe, and in a few years it will happen with Julia too." She tells him.

Joes squeezes his eyes shut. "Don't remind me." He says, before opening his eyes once more and looking down at his wife again.

"So do you think House respects our daughter? Or, do I have to have a talk with him about, man to man?" He asked with a bit of concern in his voice.

Arlene shakes her head. "That won't be necessary; based on my conversation with House in the kitchen earlier, I know he respects our daughter and all of the goals she has for her future." She assured him.

"Well, at least it sounds like the two of them are thinking clearly about this considering how young they both are." He tells her, finding some small comfort in her words.

Arlene nods in agreement.

"It's sure is a hell of a lot better than what most parents have to deal with when it comes to their kids and sex. And no matter what happens between the two of them, Lisa knows we'll always be in her corner to help her in any way we can." She tells her husband.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"Excuse me, what did you just day?" House whispered over to Cuddy with a grin.

They were seated together at a table inside the school's library with their books open, even though they were far from doing any studying at the moment.

"I know you heard me the first time. You just want me to repeat it." She whispered back at him with a glare.

His smile grew wider, "I can't say yes if I don't know what you're asking of me." He teased.

She let out a huff and scanned the area around them, grateful they had snagged one of the tables in the back of the library where no one could see them, or rather _him _acting like an ass.

"Fine, House... will you go to the Sadie Hawkins dance with me?" She repeated

"No." He told her flatly.

"You just said you would- " she started to argue.

He placed his finger up to his lips.

"Shhhh…you don't want Sister Mary Katherine to get her rosary in a knot, do you?" He said.

Cuddy gritted her teeth; she had just about enough of this bullshit from him.

"Fine, I'll ask someone else then." She told him in a harsh whisper, getting up and heading towards one of the long aisles of books a few feet away from their table.

He took off after her, slowing down his pace only when Cuddy turned and looked his way so as not to seem desperate to appease her.

When he reached her, she ignored him, selecting a book from the shelf in front of her instead.

"No need to get bitchy. I was just playing." He whispered, looking down at her, not sure why she was acting this way.

"House, its fine if you don't want to go to the dance with me, _but I do want to go_….so I'll just ask someone else since you're obviously not into it." She told him, cradling the book in her hand and catching him totally off guard by the remark.

He took the book from her and placed it back on the shelf, "Why do you care so much about a stupid dance anyway?" He asked.

"I care because not all of our time together needs to be spent fucking each other!" She replied, keeping her voice low in spite of the anger she was feeling.

He almost laughed, until he saw how serious she was _and_ how she was getting ready to walk away from him….again.

"Come on, Cuddy." He whispered to her, taking hold of her arm "you know damn well we do more than just fuck, we study together, and listen to music together, and even spend time with your parents and that bratty little sister of yours ….along with a million other things you're choosing to forget right now. So what gives?"

Her appearance soften a bit. "I know we do all those things, it's just….."

She struggled to find the right way to tell him what was on her mind.

"This is me remember? The same guy you claim to be madly in love with. So spill it." He said, placing his hand above her on the shelf as he continued to look down at her.

She took in a breath, steadied herself then spoke.

"We've been spending so much time during the past few weeks trying to figure out where we can have sex, without being interrupted... or getting caught, that lately I'm starting to feel …..."

"Like having sex is taking top priority over everything else in our relationship?" He completed for her.

"Yeah, something like that." She admitted, secretly in awe at how well he could read her at times.

"Cuddy, you know what we have goes beyond just sex, even if it's pretty fucking amazing." He assured her, leaning a bit closer her and trying to get her to smile.

"I know, it's just that I didn't want you to feel like I was hot for you one minute and cold the next."

"Because your definitely still hot for me .. right?" He asked with a small smile.

"Yes." She told him with a small smile of her own.

"And my magic wand?" He asked, looking down at his crotch.

She shook her head at him. "And your magic wand." She agreed, rolling her eyes as he grinned down evilly at her.

"Okay, then ask me again about going to the dance." He requested as he face changed to a more serious one.

She crossed her arms in front of her, reading to knee him in the balls if he acted like an ass again.

"House, will you go to the Sadie Hawkins dance with me?"

"It would be my honor." House replied, taking her left hand into his own before bending down to kiss it in the most regal and old fashioned way.

"Unless you're acting out a scene in Shakespeare, I suggest the two of you get back to studying." The librarian, who also was a nun, said to the both of them from the opposite end of the aisle.

Cuddy bit back her smile as House dragged her out from the row of books, his lips pressing closely to her ear as they picked up their books from the table, getting ready to make their escape.

"Good thing we weren't having sex just now or you'd be getting hit by the ruler in some very sensitive places." He whispered to her, his ribs feeling the brunt of Cuddy's elbow as she jabbed him with it while the sound of a muffled laugh briefly escaped her lips, echoing inside of the library.

##########################################################

"Home by eleven." Arlene Cuddy said, standing before her daughter and House in foyer of her home as they got ready to leave and head over to the school for the dance.

"Yes Mom." Cuddy answered.

"Any no sneaking out after the dance."

"Yes Mom."

"And that also means no sneaking into _my house_, after the dance either." Arlene added, shifting her gaze directly to House.

"Yes, Ma'am!" House responded, saluting her.

"Don't' push your luck string bean, remember...I know where you live." She warned as Joe came up beside her with a bowl of popcorn.

"Be safe. And if you need us, call us." He told both of the kids standing before him.

"We will." Cuddy assured him as House gave her father a nod.

##########################################################

The Sadie Hawkins dance was not a formal dance, but the kids in school did dress up a bit for it anyway, and Cuddy was no exception, trading in her jeans for a black mini skirt as well as wearing a red, oversized top that hung low on her left shoulder, exposing the skin located there. She was also wearing a pair of red high heels that made her a good three inches taller than she normally was, the ensemble she was currently wearing, shrouded in a long black coat, meant to stave off the cold as they made their way outside and into the night air.

For House's part, he had worn a dress jacket over his t-shirt and messed up his hair a bit, just because he knew Cuddy liked seeing it that way.

He had asked her if he could drive the mustang and she agreed, the powerful heater inside the vehicle allowing her to unbutton the coast and expose her legs not long after they had left her parent's home.

"Ouch! That hurt!" House said from the driver's side of the car a short while later, after Cuddy had slapped his hand away from her when it roamed dangerous close the lace panties she was wearing underneath the mini skirt.

"Then keep your hands to yourself and your eyes on the road because I don't want my car totaled." She replied.

"Kinda hard to do when you've got that skirt on, besides... I'm very good at multitasking." He told her, shifting the car before moving his hand back to her bare knee.

She glanced his way, studying his profile.

"Wanna play a game?" She asked.

"What do you have in mind?" He questioned, already thinking of some pretty good games he could play with her, most of them requiring at least some type of nudity on each of their parts.

"Let's pretend like this is our first real date." She told him.

"You mean since we never really had one and skipped right to banging the crap out of each other?" He answered.

"I know it's a stretch." She commented over to him, a bit disappointed.

House glanced over at her, seeing her gaze had shifted to the passenger side window, knowing Cuddy had some big expectations for tonight, and he had a very good chance of blowing things with her now, no matter how much she loved him as the balance she was asking for in regards to sex, and courtship or romance if you will, was something she would not compromise on, or rather shouldn't have to comprise on… considering all she had to offer any guy who was lucky enough to call her his own.

""Do you mind if we hold hands? I mean I know it's our first date in all, so I don't want to come off like some sort of creep." He asked her after a few moments of silence between them, removing his hand from her knee.

The smile she gave him in return was enough to light the streets of this suburban town for at least a couple of months.

"I don't mind, but it kinda makes it hard to shift, doesn't it?" She replied.

"Well, we can shift together, if that's okay?" He offered, reaching for her hand and placing it on the shifter nob before placing his own hand on top of hers.

##########################################################

When they arrived at the school parking lot, he told her to wait inside the mustang until he came around and got the door for her. When they started towards the gym, he asked once more if he could hold her hand, releasing it a short while later in order to hold open the gymnasium door for her once they reached the entrance to the dance.

"Do you wanna get something to drink?" He asked after they had removed their coats and hung them up, nodding over at the table of refreshments to their left.

"No, I'm fine." Cuddy replied, her eyes scanning the dance floor as their classmates moved to the music.

_Come on shine your heavenly body tonight_

_'Cause I know you're gonna make everything all right_

_Starlight, star bright….first star I see tonight…_

House looked over at her,"Wanna dance?" He asked.

"Sure." She said without hesitation.

As they made their way to the floor, the song that had been playing ended and a new one began, one they both knew by heart.

_Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick and think of you._

_Caught up in circles confusion is nothing new…._

She looked up at him with a smile as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close while she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Since I was too much of a horney bastard to say it earlier, I want to let you know you look beautiful tonight." He told her as his eyes took in every feature on her face.

"Thank you." She said, softly. "And by the way, you look very handsome." She added, her hands running down the lapels of his jacket.

"Stop, you're going to make me blush." House said in a funny voice while rolling in his eyes, his ears being rewarded with her happiness as she let out a hardy laugh.

###############################################################

Six songs later, they were still on the floor, dancing to fast songs and slow songs, as Cuddy seemed to illuminate the entire dance floor, her passion for dancing, something noticed not only by House, but by pretty much everyone out on the dance floor with them, the energy she conjured up and then released out into the space, having the girls around her to trying to copy her moves while the other guys around them were sneaking as many looks at they could at the vibrant, enchanting girl name Lisa Cuddy. Her confidence, killer body, and that thousand watt smile of hers… having everyone under her spell.

House moved his hands to her hips as they danced to another fast song, that amazing smile of hers, focused solely on him as she swayed her hips and pulled him close, the look in her eyes reminding him of every time he had the privilege to be inside of her, the fine sheen of sweat on her neck making her all the more desirable to him as her hands moved down from his shoulders and to his chest.

When the song ended, she pulled him into a hug, giving him the best kind of full-fledged embrace he had ever experienced.

"You're an amazing dancer and I'm exhausted!" She said up into his ear before lowering herself so she could be face to face with him.

"Wanna take a break and get something to drink?" He offered, trying to catch his breath as well.

"Sure." Cuddy said with a grin.

He took her by the hand and led her over to the long table filled with two different types of punch, asking her which drink she preferred before filling a plastic cup for her while she waited.

"Lisa and Greg." The principal said, walking up to them, just as House handed the drink to Cuddy.

"Hi Mister Chambers." Cuddy responded as House ignored the man.

"I'm glad to see you're both enjoying the dance so much, just watch how close you two get from now on, okay?" He told them, pausing to look at each of them as he spoke.

"Got it." House said with a fake grin, secretly wanting to throw the entire bowl full of punch in the principal's face, just to see how fast he could go from stick in the mud to raging lunatic.

Cuddy watched as Mr. Chambers then made his way to another couple pressed closely together on the dance floor.

"Do you think that guy ever gets laid?" House asks, taking his place beside her once more and taking a gulp of the drink he had just poured for himself.

"I highly doubt it." She replied before looking up at him. "You know what, I'm kinda of done with this whole dance thing anyway, wanna get some food and head up to the mansion for a little bit before I take you home?" She offered, deciding to leave now instead of being stared down by the principal for the next several hours.

###############################################################

They had stopped at a diner along the way and ordered two BLT's and fries to go, along with two cokes to wash it all down. Cuddy had surrendered the second half of her sandwich to House along with part of her fries when she felt full, the two of them seated on the couch inside the grand parlor of the mansion instead of their usual spot in the master bedroom.

They had left the lights off in the room, but Cuddy had clicked the remote for the natural gas fireplace in the space to keep them warm as they had eaten.

After finishing their food, Cuddy watched as House moved over to the grand piano, his long fingers playing a few scattered notes on the black and white keys.

"Play something for me." Cuddy requested, getting off of the couch and walking up to him.

She had never heard him play before, even though he told her that he had taken lessons since he was five.

"I'd rather play _with you_." He replied with a grin, his right hand moving to her hip before he pulled her closer to him.

"But since you asked so nicely." He continued, looking down into her eyes, having enjoyed this night thus far as much as she had by leaving behind the scheming on where and when to have sex and focusing on what more urgently needed nurtured between them.

He ushered to her to take a seat at the bench before he sat down beside her, his mind trying to decide what he would play for her.

He knew all of the classics of course, Beethoven and Bach, along with the blues, early rock and jazz, but he wanted to play something he knew she would like, something not too sappy and something not to serious, but something that would show her how much he cared about her ….something like…...and then it hit him...

His fingers moved to the keys, the melody having a steady rhythm to it, the song telling the story of a man hopelessly in love with a woman to the point of where he finds himself lost in the emotion, the tune created from one of Cuddy's favorite bands of the current era.

As he started to play, it only took Cuddy a few seconds to recognize the song, her heart melting a bit when he surprised her by started to sing the lyrics to her.

_Though I've tried before to tell her_  
_Of the feelings I have for her in my heart_  
_Every time that I come near her_  
_I just lose my nerve as I've done from the start_

As he started to sing the chorus to her, she watched him with admiration,, the look in his eyes, conveying all of his feelings for her as he continued to sing, the pitch of his voice, the talent released from his fingertips as he played the piano, sending the music roaring throughout the big empty house, breathing life into the dead air around them.

_Every little thing she does is magic_  
_Everything she do just turns me on_  
_Even though my life before was tragic_  
_Now I know my love for her goes on_

House kept on singing to Cuddy, getting lost in way she was looking at him now, her eyes having a sparkle to them which were reserved just for him, the happiness on her face something she could not contain, even if she tried with al her might.

_I resolved to call her up A thousand times a day_

_Ask her if she'll marry me… In some old fashioned way_

_But my silent fears have gripped me _

_Long before I reach the phone _

_Long before my tongue has tripped me _

_Must I always be alone…._

He pounded out the next set of notes before the chorus, jumping up from the bench and hearing her laugh with delight when he shook his head and gave her a cheesy smile, the words he was singing, lifting them both higher into their revelry.

_Every little thing she does is magic_  
_Everything she do just turns me on_  
_Even though my life before was tragic_  
_Now I know my love for her goes on…_

###############################################################

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home?" Cuddy asked.

The two of them were standing in front of her car, which was parked in the driveway of Cuddy's home, their arrival time here, a few minutes before eleven.

"What kind of guy would I be if I didn't walk my girlfriend up to her door after our first date?" He questioned to her before taking her hand in his own.

"Thanks again for tonight." She whispered up to him, leaning into him a bit as they walked towards the front door.

He gave her hand a squeeze." This was more of your doing than mine, but you're welcome anyway." He replied as they reached the porch steps.

They were now standing face to face outside of her door.

"Do you mind if I give you a kiss?" He asked, still playing the game she had asked him to, the feelings it brought out in them both, making him realize how much more she had to offer him than what he had already discovered thus far.

"I'd like that." She said softly before he lowered his head and captured her lips in his own.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

It was Christmas Eve, with the snow softly falling into the night air as House and Cuddy sat on his bed, exchanging their gifts for each other.

House's parents were out for the night, attending a party at his Dad's commanding officer's home and not expected back until early in the morning as tradition dictated an all-night poker game for the men and several hands of Rummy for the military wives whose children were well past believing in Santa Claus.

Earlier this evening, the two of them had spent some time over at Cuddy's parents, who of course did not celebrate Christmas since they were Jewish, but did allow their daughter to come over here with House as long as she was back by midnight.

"I love it." Cuddy said, reaching down and looking at the pendant she had just placed around her neck.

It was a linked pendant, made out of gold and consisting of three thin gold rings, the middle one incrusted with small diamonds.

"I'm glad you liked it." House said with a soft smile. "And even though the diamonds are small, they are in fact real." He added, wanting her to know he thought she deserved the best he could afford, even if it wasn't that much at the moment.

"It's not the size that matters." She teased over to him.

He shot her a mock glare. "Even with your limited experience, I can assure you I am _above _average."

She laughed. "Oh, so you've seen several others to compare yourself with, huh?" She teased back at him.

He lunged at her, pinning her down to the mattress. "You know, talk like that will get you well on your way to an orgasm, just so I can prove to you my tiny dick can still make you moan." He whispered down to her with a smile.

She smiled up at him, "Can I at least see you open your present first?" She asked.

"I think I've already found my present. Now it's just a matter of getting it open." He whispered, moving his hand to her breast and caressing it.

She lifted her mouth up to kiss him as he continued to caress her.

"Come on, open you _real gift_ so I can give you a bonus gift afterwards." She coaxed to him when their lips had parted.

"Okay." He said with a nod, giving her another peck before pulling her up with him, the two of them seated side by side on the bed.

"Here." She said, retrieving the rectangular box from the nightstand.

He shook it. "Hopefully isn't not a box of condoms, considering I received one box every day during the past eight days of Hanukkah, thanks to your safe-sex obsessed Mom." He commented over to her.

She laughed, remembering the look on House's face each night her mother had presented him with his Hanukkah gifts right before he left and of course after Julia had been put to bed.

"I promise it's not condoms." She assured him.

He smiled over at her and then ripped open the gift, finding a masculine style, leather bound notebook and wood grained pen inside.

He gave her a questioning look.

"For when you're studying up in Boston and need to write me a letter." She said sweetly, "But there's more." She added, flipping the leather bound notebook open.

House looked down and smiled again, spying the small packet of guitar picks inside the book first, his smile growing wider still as underneath the picks was a Polaroid picture of her, wearing nothing but the blue dress shirt he had worn over to her place the night he had first met her parents, the same shirt he had subsequently forgotten over there and which she had now claimed for her own.

She had left the shirt unbuttoned in the photo except for the very last one at the bottom, thereby granting herself some modesty for what was between her thighs. However, leaving the shirt open on the top part of her body, as well as letting the sleeves fall slightly off her shoulders gave him a fantastic view of both of her breasts, her thighs, also tempting exposed to him as well as she had drawn the front tails of the shirt up as high as possible, the seductive smile on her face in the photograph, silently asking him to have his way with her.

"So, I take it this is my inspiration for letter writing?" He asked with a grin.

"Something like that." She replied enjoying how much he was enjoying studying the photo of her.

He looked up at her. "Thank you." He said before leaning over and giving her a soft kiss.

###############################################################

An hour later they were both starting up at the ceiling, naked underneath the sheets on his bed and trying to catch their breaths.

"That thing you did with your tongue earlier? Keep doing that from now on." Cuddy commented over to House, a remnant of the pleasure he had given to her before they had sex, rising up again from between her thighs, sending a tingling sensation through her.

"So you liked that huh?" He asked with a grin, pulling her closer to him.

She smiled over at him, "I loved it." She whispered before giving him a kiss.

She then rested her chin on his chest. "I'm really gonna miss being here with you like this when you go off to college next fall." She confided to him, her gift of the notebook and pen to him earlier in the evening, only further cementing the fact that their time together now was only serving to move him closer to leaving her for good.

He moved his hand up to her face, "Cuddy I'm not leaving for college for nearly 8 months, and who knows, by then you might end up hating me and more than happy to give me a kick in the ass to help send me on my way." He tried teasing to her, even though the thoughts of leaving her behind had been plaguing him as well after he received his acceptance letter from Cambridge University.

"I could never hate you, no matter what." She said, knowing that even though they had only been together for a little over four months know, she loved him with all of her heart.

"Then stop worrying about the future." He told her.

"I can't. It's who I am, I need to have a plan for everything, and you know that." She responded.

He let out a sigh, of course she did, and because this would be such a big change in both of their lives, it was completely understandable why she was worrying about it so much even with months of time between his departure.

"I'll write every day and call whenever I can. And remember, Boston's only five hours away and somehow we'll find a way to keep seeing each other, even if it's only for a weekend a month." He told her.

She nodded, her eyes lowering a bit though as her heart sank, her finger tracking the artery in his neck that was pulsing. "We still have to talk about our expectations for each other while we're apart." She said, looking up at him again.

"Expectations?" He asked with a furrow in his brow.

"You know, the elephant in the room we've been avoiding?" She countered.

He looked around, "I don't see any elephant? Only a very sexy brunette underneath me whose about to get round two of her Christmas love fest."

"House, we may only be five hours away from each other during your first year of college, but after that, if I get accepted to Ann Arbor, we'll be more than twelve hours away from each other for the next three years, and the fact that we haven't discussed the likely chance of both of us having sex with someone else during that time isn't going to prevent it from happening." She told him frankly, even though the thought of it was breaking her heart.

He looked down at her sternly. "You think I'm going to grab the first piece of ass that comes my way? Is that it?" He asked, feeling like she had just shoved a dagger into his heart.

She reached up and touched his face. "You know that's not what I meant. I love you, and I respect you and the last thing I would even want to do is hurt you, but letting you leave without us discussing this is only gone end up hurting us both in the end." She tried to reason to him.

He closed his eyes, a part of him knowing of course that she was right while another part of him wished like hell she was wrong.

"So, what do we do about it?" He asked, looking down at her again.

"I've already decided I don't want to know. If something happens, if you find yourself with someone else, and even if you end up falling in love with someone-"

"Cuddy, that's not going to happen." He told her adamantly.

She paused, needing a moment to gather up her strength for what she was about to tell him next.

"I know you love me, but if something happens, if you have a moment of weakness, or feel lonely without me there with you, I want you to know I'll understand, but I _don't_ want to know about it. I don't want you to say goodbye, or try to explain yourself, not matter what…. and I sure as hell don't want a Dear Jane letter, so you have to _promise_ me you'll still write to me….…not matter what happens, because if I end up losing your heart and your friendship at the same time, I don't' think I could take it."

She had said the words quickly, hoping they wouldn't hurt as much coming out of her mouth as they had when they had been created inside of her head a few days ago, her hopes however, falling flat as she felt a sting of tears threatening to fall from her eyes while he looked down at her with disbelief.

"So you're already giving up on us without even trying?" House said, his throat becoming tight, his body not able to even make the slightest adjustment on top of her as he was afraid she suddenly disappear from beneath him.

She held back her tears, willing them away as she closed her eyes before opening them up to him again.

"I'm not giving up House, I'm being realistic. You know I love you and I always will, but the cold hard truth is that we're still in high school, and no matter how much we care about each other, the chances of us ending up together in the future aren't that good, and not because we don't love each other, but because we both have so much of our lives to live." She argued up to him, her hands now holding onto his biceps with urgency as if he may be swept away from her at any moment.

He looked down at her for a moment and said nothing, his mind telling him this was an argument he could not win, his heart wishing like hell he could because of how it was breaking.

"Then I don't want to know either. Even if you find some guy who makes you feel better about yourself than I-"

"That's not going to happen."

He gave her a sad smile over the irony of her statement. "Even if you find someone who makes you miss me a little bit less, I don't want to know. And you still have to promise you'll write me back, no matter what, because your friendship means just as much to me as it does to you." He said, repeating pretty much the same words she had just spoken to him.

"I promise." She assured him, giving him a small kiss as her heart was already beginning to ache.

The small kiss turned into more kisses, their hands moving and caressing each other, the two of them making love again after their conversation, slowly and with great care, their bodies granting them a small reprieve as they raced towards their release from the sadness that had suddenly taken over them.

He held her close and for as long as he could afterward, listening to her breathing, remembering the touch of her hand as she stroked his chest, until it was time for her to go.

After Cuddy got dressed and he walked her to the door, House made her promise _to him_ that they would not speak of _their promises to each other_ again and would instead live out the remaining months they had together chasing down every moment, every fantasy and every experience they desired as if the day he would end up leaving her would never come.

When he kissed her goodbye, he made her promise it to him again and she did, and on her ride home, she committed the notion to her brain one more time, knowing that wallowing in her sorrow over their future separation would only serve to tear them apart sooner than their impeding futures would most certainly do soon enough.


	21. Chapter 21

Have a great weekend everyone!

**Chapter 21**

It was the end of February, and House and Cuddy were seated together on the bus that would take them to their four day long field trip to Washington, DC.

They had chosen a seat at the very back of the bus, which was the farthest away from their two chaperones who were seated behind the bus driver.

As the bus pulled out of the school parking lot early on Tuesday morning, House moved his hand down to Cuddy's knee.

The air around them was filled with the conversations of the other students on the bus as well as their two chaperones.

"So did you bring it?" House asked Cuddy.

"Yes." Cuddy assured him with a smile, placing her hand over his.

"And your fake ID too?" He questioned hopefully.

"I never leave home without it." She assured him.

His smile grew with her response, his eyes, darting up to the front of the bus and making sure the chaperons were too self-involved in their own conversation to care about them as he leaned in and kissed her with his right hand now holding tightly onto her hip.

"I'd tell you two to get a room, but if our little plan goes down like we want it to, you'll at least get a couple of hours to be all alone without any interruptions." Becca whispered over to them.

House glared back at her. "Yeah Einstein, I know that, now shut up so I can make out with my girlfriend in peace." He told her.

Before Cuddy could scold him for his rude behavior, he smothered her words with another kiss.

"You know, we could be doing what they're doing right now." Becca informed Jason, who had been looking over at the kissing couple as well.

"Sure." He said, no sooner uttering the words than finding Becca eagerly kissing him with her tongue moving swiftly into his mouth.

From the middle of the bus, someone let out a loud, wolf whistle, causing both couples to immediately stop their activities.

Mrs. Swanson and Mister Sullivan both turned around immediately.

"What's going on back there?" The female teacher questioned.

"Hank thinks you look extra sexy today." House shouted from the back of the bus as the poor band kid he had named turned three shades of red.

Mrs. Swanson glared at House. "Anymore wisecracks and you'll be sitting up front with me." She warned him.

###############################################################

After the group arrived at the hotel and got settled, they went on a tour of Washington DC, stopping at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and the White House, along with several other points of interest.

At six pm that night, the entire group had dinner inside of the hotel restaurant, along with their two chaperones. For the rest of the evening, the teens would be allowed to swim in the indoor pool, play games inside the hotel's arcade, or…. visit with each other in their rooms, with all of them being told that their chaperones would be checking on them at random times throughout the night.

"So how many times do you think they're going to do it over the next four days?" House whispered over to Cuddy, the two them having barely touched their food as they sat at their table with Becca and Jason.

"I don't even want to know." Cuddy responded, her eyes staying focused on the two chaperones seated a few tables away from them, just as House's were at the moment.

A few weeks ago, Cuddy had found out about by accident about the two married teachers having an affair as she had overheard a phone conversation between Mr. Sullivan and Mrs. Swanson, as she was in the school's office filing some paper work. Mr. Sullivan had been speaking on the phone in the teachers' lounge to Mrs. Swanson, or Kate as he had called her, the conversation of how going on the trip would allow the two of them to spend countless hours uninterrupted, leaving no doubt in Cuddy's mind who the male teacher was talking to on the other end of the line.

"What are you two whispering about? Becca asked from across the table.

"About how you and Jason make such a cute couple." House replied cheerfully, just to see if Becca would be stupid enough to buy it.

"Thanks! You guys are cute too. Aren't they Jason? "Becca replied, linking her arm with her boyfriend as they sat next to each other at the table.

House glanced over at the quarterback, who he had seen glancing Cuddy's way now and then when he thought no one was looking.

"Yeah, you guys are great together." Jason replied, his tone as flat as the conversation they were having.

House wrapped his arm around the back of Cuddy's chair, his thumb casually caressing her shoulder as Jason kept his gaze upon him.

House wasn't threatened by the jock in the least, however he wanted to make sure the guy knew that as much as Jason obviously still yearned for his kissing partner, Cuddy had chosen _him_ to be her boyfriend and not the star quarterback.

"So are you ready for tonight?" House asked to the boy seated across from him.

"Just as long as we don't get caught." Jason replied.

"We won't get caught as long as someone doesn't end up doing something stupid." House muttered over to Jason, before his eyes zoned in on Becca.

"Becca I love your top. Where did you get it?" Cuddy asked, knowing House was on the verge of insulting the girl again by the way he had looked at her after saying something about being stupid.

"Thanks! I got it at Beneton in the mall."

###############################################################

"You look amazing!" Becca said later that night as Cuddy stood before her, dressed in high heels and wearing a sophisticated, but sexy red dress. The same dress House had asked her if she was bringing with her today when they had been on the bus. And the same dress she had tried on in the mall two weeks ago while he waited for her outside of the dressing rooms, seated on a couch and surrounded by semi circles of floor to ceiling mirrors.

"Thanks."Cuddy responded.

She had pulled her long hair up into a French twist, her makeup , especially the red lipstick she wore, enhancing her beauty all the more while her gold jewelry, ( which she had swiped from her mother's jewelry box), except for the necklace that House had given to her, completing the look.

"I mean it Lisa; you could easily pass for twenty-one looking like that." Becca said, still shocked by how breathtaking her friend looked while standing before her.

A knock on their door sent Becca running to answer it, the sight of House, dressed in a black suit with a red tie, causing the girl to yelp and clap her hands with glee.

"You look _so handsome_." Becca squealed, taking him by the hand and dragging him inside the room while he awkwardly shut the door behind them.

House was irritated by her behavior and ready to tell Becca she sounded like a monkey in heat until his eyes moved over to Cuddy.

_"Wow."_ He said softly, taking a moment to check her out from head to toe.

"Like what you see?" She asked him with a smile as she reached for her clutch on the dresser.

"Of course he likes what he sees!" Becca commented over to her in a high pitched shrill.

While Cuddy gave her friend a smile, House glared at her.

"Okay Bobby Sue, your Billy Jo should be here shortly with your _real Chinese take-out_ from Chinatown, so we'll be going now." He announced, grabbing Cuddy's hand and leading her quickly to the door so they could start their evening away from the annoying girl.

"I'll see you in a few hours, and remember, you and Jason need to walk down to the arcade every now and then, so the chaperones see the two of you together." Cuddy managed to blurt out to the cheerleader before House quickly whisked her away, practically running towards the stairs.

Becca smiled at them from the open doorway as they left, already prepped by Lisa that if anyone should ask about her and House while they were gone, she was going to lie, telling whoever, but most namely the chaperones, that she had seen the two of them swimming earlier, or that they had been inside the arcade just a few minutes ago, or even that the two of them had taken off to explore the different floors inside of the hotel .

When Becca had asked the two of them about possibly getting caught, both House and Cuddy didn't seem too concerned although they wouldn't tell her why.

##############################################################

After going down their first flight of stairs inside of the hotel, as taking the elevator would have been too risky Cuddy pulled House back to her as they paused on the landing.

"You know Becca was right, you do look very handsome." She whispered, touching the stubble on his face that he had let grown into a full five o'clock shadow before giving him a deep, passionate kiss.

House smile down at her when their lips parted.

"At least that bimbo is good for something. Now come on, before someone sees us." He told her, taking her hand as they started down the next flight of steps.

Once they made their way to the back of the kitchen prep area inside the restaurant, House told Cuddy to stay put while he snuck out to the front and to where the hotel bar was located, his hunch that Mr. and Mrs. Cheater would be enjoying a few cocktails before heading up to one of their rooms for a night of sin, confirmed when he spotted them seated at the bar, sipping on martinis.

"We're good. Those two will be checking on each other all night instead of any of the kids from class." He assured Cuddy as he made his way back to her, finding her waiting behind the large freezer and out of sight just in case anyone working for the hotel would happen to enter into the kitchen.

###############################################################

"Right this way." The Maître d' at the restaurant told them as he walked House and Cuddy to their table at the upscale eatery residing in the heart of DC.

House had call the place nearly a month ago after finding out their chaperones were in the midst of a torrid affair and had reserved a table for them under the guise of being a well-known Marine general's son who he somewhat resembled.

Cuddy smiled over at House as the waiter pulled her chair out for her, the fact that he had let his beard grow in a bit; along with how well his suit fit him, giving him the appearance of a guy in his early twenties and not the high school senior he truly was.

"This place is amazing!" Cuddy said to House after the Maître d' had left their table.

"Nothing but the best for my underage girlfriend." House replied over to her, loving the sparkle that had filled her eyes as she glanced around the dining room.

"Good evening. I am Peter and I will be your waiter for this evening. May I tell you about tonight's special? "The tall man dressed in the white staff outfit said to them a moment later.

###############################################################

An hour later, they had finished their meals as well as two glasses of wine with neither of them having to show there fake ID's. Of course House came prepared, having Cuddy get him another fake ID with the General's son's name and date of birth…just in case.

The food had been amazing, the violinist who showed up and played for them at their table, having Cuddy feeling as if she was living a dream as she dined with senators, congressman, businessmen and the upper crust of women both in politics and the network news.

"Thank you for taking me here." Cuddy said to House as she held his hand from across the table.

"Don't thank me yet because the next time we come here I plan on you being a doctor and paying for my meal, including an obscene amount of booze." He teased over to her.

"Then it's a date." Cuddy agreed with a smile. "So do you think we should head back yet? "She then asked him as she placed her napkin on top of her plate.

He shook his head, "Not yet, I've got a surprise or you." He told her.

"Tell me." She pleaded sweetly, leaning closer to him.

"Sorry my lips are sealed." House replied before flagging down their waiter and asking for the check.

###############################################################

When they had left the restaurant, House hailed down a cab for them, telling the driver the address before he leaned back and took hold of Cuddy hand as she smiled with delight.

After they arrived at their destination and she walked out onto the sidewalk, Cuddy took in a breath, the tall historic building with concrete statues, amazing architecture and large, glass balloon style lights that illuminated the concrete before her, truly magical.

"We're going in there?" She questioned to him as he hooked her arm in his.

"Yes." He assured her with a grin.

###############################################################

Inside the walls of the grand ballroom, House and Cuddy were dancing with some of DC's elite. The cause for the celebration, a fundraising gala for a republican senator who had dreams of becoming the president, the reason they had even been able to step foot inside the building, all due to one very crafty high school boy who had researched and bribed his way into having the kind of credentials that showed he and Cuddy were in fact part of the college campaign staff in Georgetown University

"I'll never forget this night." Cuddy said to House as he led her around the dance floor.

"That was kind of the plan." He told her in a sly whisper.

"Do you think someday we'll get to dance like this again?" She asked him, this perfect night he had planned, allowing her to dream just a bit about a future with him.

"You mean at our wedding?" He asked her with a scrunched up face.

She laughed at the comment.

She was nowhere _close to thinking about marrying him_ or anyone else at this point in her life and she knew neither was he, but she humored him with another proposition instead.

"Hmmm….. well, maybe in a couple of years, after we're both done with college and when I'm a doctor and you're a world renowned Physicists we'll come back to this place." She told him.

He smiled at her remark. "You know Physicists are a very odd bunch. In fact, did I ever tell you about how the physicists assigned to the Manhattan project regularly had key parties, swapping out their wives?"

She gave him a frown. "I hope that's not a future request on your part." She told him.

He looked down at her and grinned. "No way, I'm the only one who gets to put my key inside of your lock."

She laughed again, and they talked some more, about their futures, about tonight, and about all sorts of wonderful and interesting things as the music played on and their hearts kept time with the rhythm.

#############################################################

Later that night and after they returned from the gala, Cuddy went to House's room that he was sharing with Jason.

Jason was of course still over in the room Cuddy was sharing with Becca and a quick call over there by House let him know they had not been missed by their chaperones.

"Okay, we'll see you guys in about an hour." House said to Jason before hanging up the phone.

Standing out on the balcony to House's room, Cuddy felt the winter air bringing a blush to her cheeks, the skin on her arms, already covered in Goosebumps; however the view of DC from up here was just too wonderful not too indulge in, if only for a little while.

House walked up behind her, his hands moving over her arms, trying to warm them.

"So are we okay?" Cuddy asked him.

"Yep, we're in the clear." House informed her, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Do you want my jacket?" He offered to her, knowing she must be getting cold.

"No." Cuddy told him, turning around to face him. "Right now the only thing I need to make this night even more perfect is you."

He kissed her then, under the stars and with all of DC aglow behind them, his hand taking hold of hers as he led her inside the room and closed the sliding doors behind them, kissing her deeply as they made their way over to the bed, his hands removing the red lace panties she was wearing as they remained standing and while she kept her dress and her high heels on, his mouth exploring the sweetness between her thighs as she held up the hem of the dress for him, a cry of surprise escaping her mouth when he lifted her up and held her against the wall, entering inside of her slowly, wanting the night to go on forever as her toned legs, wrapped around his waist, her kisses dropping down upon his lips with the caress of a leisurely rain on a warm summers day.

##############################################################

The next morning, Cuddy had met House down in the dining room for breakfast, her head still in the clouds; her heart loving him so much more than any person really ever should, considering the separation between the two of them was ever drawing closer.

They ate by themselves that day, away from Becca and Jason, and away from the other students, the two of them deep in conversation when Mr. Sullivan and Mrs. Swanson walked up to them.

"So are the two of you ready for the tour of the Smithsonians this morning?" Mr. Sullivan asked.

Cuddy nodded. "House and I wanted go to the American History museum first." She informed him.

"Of course, all of the students have their choice of what museums they want to see during the next two days, just remember you will be expected to be on time when we all regroup for lunch, and if I find out there's been any deviation from the schedule on either of your parts, you will be banned from going to the Senior Prom."

Cuddy nodded in recognition. "Yes Mr. Sullivan." She said.

Beside her, House remained silent, looking past the man and through the window to his left as the city started to spring to life once more.

"House?" the teacher said with a slight irritation to his voice.

"Got it Mr. Sullivan. Besides, everyone knows they could never pull anything past you." House responded as he gave Cuddy's thigh a squeeze from underneath the table.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

It was the third week in August and House and Cuddy were seated inside Cuddy's mustang, cruising along the interstate with the windows rolled down and the radio playing loudly as the warm summer breeze moved through their hair.

_But I can see you, your brown skin shinin' in the sun..._

_You got your hair combed back and your sunglasses on, baby..._

_And I can tell you my love for you will still be strong..._

_After the boys of summer have gone..._

They were heading to the Jersey shore and to where Cuddy's parents owned a three bedroom condo with a spectacular ocean view, and two days after that, the rest of Cuddy's family would be joining them and vacationing with them for the rest of the week before all of them would be heading home on Sunday.

As the radio played, House moved his hand to Cuddy's knee, looking over at her from the passenger seat.

His thumb gently caressed her skin, his eyes watching as a smile snuck up on her face.

"Did I ever tell you how sexy your legs are?" He asked her from behind a pair of dark sunglasses.

"Only about every other day since we've been together." She teased back at him, wearing pair sunglasses as well and with her long hair pulled back into a pony tail.

He leaned back in his seat a bit, his hand inching up to her thigh and to where her white shorts met with her tan skin.

"I still can't believe you parents are letting us stay in the condo for two whole nights by ourselves. It's almost like they _want _me to bang their daughter senseless." He said, his smile growing wider.

"You're such an ass." She told him, rolling her eyes.

He pulled his sunglasses down a bit on his nose and looked over at her.

"But you'll still end up having sex with me during these next two days before your parents come down because as much as I drive you nuts, I still know how to get you off... both physically and mentally." He boasted over to her.

Cuddy bit back her smile, shaking her head while keeping her eyes on the road.

"You know, it's too bad your parents aren't as open about sex as my mom and dad, are, I think it would actually do them both some good to loosen up a bit." She commented over to him a moment later after the idea had crossed her mind.

House cringed at the thought. "Are you _trying_ to make sick?" He asked with a sour face.

Cuddy laughed. "Oh come on House, your Mom is a beautiful woman, and considering you're here sitting next to me, your parents obviously had sex…at least once."

He shook his head. "I'm not an idiot Cuddy, I know my parents have sex. It's just with my Dad's military background, along with his moral values from the nineteen fifties…..I think it's safe to say the missionary position is the only option for them."

This time Cuddy cringed, just a bit. "If that's really true, I feel sorry for your Mom." She told him.

During the past few months, Cuddy had formed a relationship with Blythe, his mother initiating the contact between them after spotting Cuddy' in the driveway one day picking up her son in the red mustang.

"My Mom is having an affair." House stated.

Cuddy glanced over at him briefly, her face filled with shock. "What makes you say that?" She asked.

"Remember when my Mom signed up for those art classes at the local college a few months ago?" He asked.

"Yes?" Cuddy answered.

"Well, lately she's been happier than I've seen her in a very long time. At first I thought it was because of the her finally getting out of the house and doing something she actually enjoys, but the other day, I saw this guy in her class drop her off in front of our house and I knew something was going on between the two of them by the way she was looking at him as they said their goodbyes." He told her.

Cuddy weighed the information he had just said to her. "Still …you can't know for sure. I mean... maybe you're wrong. Maybe they're just friends?" She reasoned, trying to cast some doubt his way.

House picked up on her attempt to shield him from whatever sadness she thought he may have felt regarding his suspicions of his mother's infidelity.

"Cuddy, I'm actually fine with my Mom having affair." He told her.

She looked over at him again, her mouth slightly ajar. "House...how can you...?"

"Eyes on the road, Cuddy." He told her, nodding over to the windshield.

She shifted her gaze back to the interstate.

"So you're really okay with you Mom having an affair?" She questioned once more, knowing that even though House's dad was an asshole, there may still be a part of him that still longed for the all American family he never had.

"Cuddy, I've always wanted my Mom to be happy, she deserves that after putting up with so much of my Dad's shit." He told her.

"Was your Dad ever abusive towards your Mom?" Cuddy found herself asking, considering how horrible John House had treated his son.

House let out a soft, sarcastic laugh.

"No, my Dad's never even raised his voice at my Mom. He just...well….." House started to explain, feeling an anger rise up inside of him suddenly.

Cuddy waited, letting him decided what he wanted to say next instead of pushing him towards responding.

House studied her profile as the words came to him and he pushed the anger he was feeling aside, the girl seated next to him, the one person in his life who he trusted completely and without hesitation.

"The thing is, my Dad has never cared about my Mom's happiness. It's like they got married, and she was a military wife, and that was the end of it. I doubt he's ever even asked her if she had any dreams of her own aside from his ambitions. Hell, he's never even commented on the watercolors she's brought home from her art class. And in my opinion, that's a pretty shitty way to live out a marriage."

Cuddy nodded in agreement.

"Do you think your Dad knows about the affair?" She asked him, gripping a little tighter onto the steering wheel.

House shook his head. "No, the old man would have blown a gasket if he did."

"Do you think your Mom will end up leaving your Dad?" She asked.

House thought about it for moment.

"I don't know. My Mom's been a caged bird for so long...sometimes it's hard to fly free from that strange sense of security." He rationalized.

Again Cuddy nodding in agreement, the way House was able to observe people with such a keen sense of insight as well as a maturity well beyond his seventeen years, reminding her of how complex and unique he truly was and how much she would miss having him here beside her when summer gave way to fall.

"Well, no matter what happens between your Mom and Dad, I want you to know you know you can always talk to me about it if you need to, okay?" She said, glancing over at him from the driver's seat.

"I know, Cuddy." He answered. "But for the next five days, all I want to do is spend as much time as I can with you and not worry about my Mom and Dad." He told her.

"Okay." She agreed, wanting that as much as he did.

###############################################################

During that last leg of their drive to the condo, House pushed a cassette into the tape deck, knowing how much Cuddy loved this particular band. His girlfriend's admiration for Stevie Nicks and the way the singer/songwriter was able to tell stories about love and heartache, weaved within such amazing lyrics, something he had admired as well.

_Wait a minute baby, _

_Stay with me awhile…._

_Said you'd give me light, but you never told me about the fire…._

He eased back in his seat, a comfortable silent between them now as he let himself get lost in the haunting and sedative words of the song, noticing Cuddy was was being pulled into the music as well, her hand now guiding his to the shifter when she needed to switch gears as her head moved slightly in time with the song.

_Drowning in the sea of love_

_Where everyone would love to drown_

_But now it's gone_  
_It doesn't matter what for_

_When you build your house_  
_Then call me home..._

Cuddy started to sing along softly with the song and he watched her mouth as she repeated the lyrics, a sudden urge rising up from within him to kiss her perfect lips, to let his fingers trace the beauty of her curves, to see her eyes gazing into his own as they became one.

Time was no longer on their side, the next few weeks... all they had left between them before they would be separated between miles of highways, mountains and endless landscapes, the both of them, now heading off onto their own paths and to the changes that awaited them no matter how much they had longed for things to stay the same between them.

When they finally reached the condo, their bags had no sooner been placed upon the carpeted floor beneath them when House pulled Cuddy close to him and kissed her.

"Last bedroom on the right." She told him when their had lips parted, and she let out a soft gasp as he lifted her up and carried her down the hall.

They made love to each other slowly, kissing and touching as if they had all the time in the world, the two of them brining each other close to the edge many times before backing off and rebuilding the fire between them, letting it smolder time and time again before finally succumbing to the flames.

As the afternoon soon filtered through the curtains, Cuddy rested her head on House chest, her body drained of all of its energy as she remained straddled on top of him, her knees bent and resting on opposite sides of his hips.

"Do you think Guinness has a world record on the longest foreplay?" He asked her in a soft whisper, his hand gently caressing the small of her back, a satisfied smile on his face.

She smiled, her cheek pressed against his chest, her hand skimming across his ribs as she looked up at him.

"I'm not sure, but if there is…I think it's safe to say we just broke it." Cuddy replied with a smile of her own.

###############################################################

A short while later, they were seated inside of a boardwalk bar at a table for two, eating pizza and drinking beer (thanks to their fake ID's), and looking every bit like the college students they would soon become.

"That's your third piece!" House commented over to Cuddy with shock as she bit down on the slice of pizza she was holding.

She chewed the food and swallowed before acknowledging the comment made by him.

"What can I say? Fucking your brains out makes me hungry." She replied back to him with a seductive grin.

He leaned closer to her.

"Just make sure you eat enough pizza so we can take another crack at longest foreplay in history after we're done here." He advised her, staring deeply into her eyes.

"Well in that case." She replied, before pulling the serving tray with the rest of their pizza towards her.

House let out a hardy laugh, his arm moving to the back of her chair. "Promise me you'll always keep up that winning attitude towards sex." He told her with a grin.

"Only when it comes to you." She replied back to him softly, catching him off guard.

"You're making it so hard to leave." He whispered back at her, feeling the tug she so easily inflicted on his heart.

"I know, I'm selfish, but I don't care." She replied, her fingers touching cheek.

"Come on, let's get out of here." He said, reaching for her hand, determined not to wallow in the future that would separate them.

"And do what exactly?" She questioned with a grin, needing to steer clear from the sober thoughts of their future as well.

"Well of course we need to have sex again, but after that, let's see what this boardwalk has to offer us."

###############################################################

As they walked out onto the sand, House watched as every guy who looked their way was practically salivating at the sight of Cuddy, walking next to him and wearing a skimpy, red bikini. He was still riding hide on the endorphins that had been released after having sex with Cuddy in the shower a few minutes ago, her long, dark hair still a little damp as it hung in loose curls around her shoulders, his hand firmly holding onto hers as he strutted like a proud peacock beside her.

"Are you okay?" She asked, after noticing the goofy grin on his face.

"Just high on sex and the fact that I have the most beautiful girl on the beach beside me." He said cheerfully as he nodded at the guy passing them who had been the latest man checking out Cuddy's superb body.

Cuddy laughed at him, her eyes following House's as he turned around and glanced back at the middle aged, balding man sitting on the beach towel who they had just passed, and who unbeknownst to Cuddy had just been checking out her ass they had passed by him.

"She's young enough to be your daughter!" House shouted back at the man who in turn got nasty look from his rather burly wife, seated beside him and up until that point had her nose shoved inside of a magazine.

"Stop it!" Cuddy warned, pulling him along.

"What? The guy was undressing you with his eyes? And even though it isn't not too much of stretch considering your obscene lack of clothing, it's still kinda creepy."

Cuddy wrinkled her nose at him. "I'm wearing a perfectly acceptable swimsuit that covers everything. Why are guys such Neanderthals?" She commented over to him, tossing her bag onto the sand after she found an empty spot for them to claim.

He smiled over at her, crouching down and unrolling his towel as his eyes moved down her body.

"You're _barely _covering everything Cuddy and you know it." He pointed out to her. "And considering it's a know fact that men like to stare at a great set of boobs and a nice, firm ass, you're pretty much the best eye candy most of these guys have seen a _very_ long time." He finished before kicking off his sandals and pulling his t-shirt over his head.

Cuddy scanned the crowd around them, finding two men, who looked to be in their mid-twenties, a younger boy, who she guessed was about fourteen and one man who could have passed for her grandfather all looking over at her, she let out a sigh.

House was right of course, and instead of arguing anymore about the subject, she pulled her own towel out from inside of her beach bag and unrolled over the sand beside him, however not before she caught a women, who she guessed was her around her mother's age, staring over at House with a smile stretched across her deeply tanned face.

"Looks like I'm not the only eye candy on this beach." She whispered over to him after she sat down beside him on the towel.

House followed her gaze, spotting the woman, a brilliant smile appearing on his face as he held up his hand and waved over at her.

The woman perked up immediately, shifting her position on her own towel and thereby giving House a blatant view of her huge breasts as she waved back to him sweetly.

"You ass." Cuddy whispered, reaching for his hand and pulling it down to rest on the towel beside her.

House smiled at her.

"What? I was just being friendly?" He teased, loving how mad his actions had made her, loving that even though he had just told her how beautiful she was, it didn't stop Cuddy from marking her territory when it came to him.

Cuddy's face soften a bit, the wheels inside her head now spinning.

"You're right; I mean getting mad over something so innocent really is absurd." She said casually, before reaching for the suntan lotion inside her bag.

House knew what Cuddy was up to, but played it cool, watching as she started to slowly apply the lotion onto her toned legs, then to her soft thighs, her body leaning back a bit while her fingers caressing her flat stomach before they moved up to the exposed cleavage of her chest.

House grabbed the bottle away from her.

"Here, let me help you with that." He grumbled, scanning the crowd and seeing most of his male counterparts let out a sigh of disappointment just as he had halted Cuddy's little show.

"Are you sure? Because if you're too busy waving to Mrs. Robinson, I think I can get someone around here to help me with the rest." She told him, her smile every bit as bright as the summer sun shining above them in the clear blue sky.

He glared down at her, but with a small smile on his face "Move your hair away from your shoulders, Jezebel and let the master take over." He told her, before he squeezed some lotion into his hands.

###############################################################

They had stayed on the beach for nearly three hours, getting the most out of the gorgeous day, lying in the sand and getting tanned by the sun, walking up to the boardwalk to get ice cream and fresh squeezed lemonade during the day as well as running into the ocean several times to swim and flit with each other before they had heading back up to the condo to shower again before getting changed for the evening.

Cuddy had picked out white, cotton summer dress that showed off her amazing tan, the hem of it, dangerously close to revealing a whole lot more than her bronzed legs, the sight of her, causing House to take her by the hand as he tried to lead her back to the bedroom again for another round of amazing sex.

"We have the entire night ahead of us." She whispered up to him after he hand pinned her against the wall and kissed her deeply.

"I know, which is why I want you to see you naked as many times as I can." He replied back to her with his hand sliding down to her round ass and giving it a firm squeeze.

"I'll promise I'll give you everything you deserve, after we dance the night away." She assured him, kissing him softly as her hand moved down to denim shorts he was wearing, cupping the bulge she found there.

He looked down at her. "I'm going to hold you to that." He replied, still keeping a firm grip on her spectacular behind.

###########################################################

As they had stepped out into the summer night, the air was filled with electricity, the boardwalk, along with the sidewalks and city streets alive with people.

The would head to a bar only a short distance from the condo first, the fact that nearly all the bars tonight were hosting live entertainment, something that Cuddy had been looking forward to all day.

After snagging a table by the stage, they had ordered drinks, getting carded of course because of the onslaught of the younger generations who had swarmed the beach, but each of them having no trouble in obtaining the alcohol after their ID's had been checked.

As soon as the band started playing, Cuddy reached for House's hand and practically dragged him out onto the floor, they had danced for hours, going from bar to bar, swimming in a sea of kids who were as eager to soak up all the night had to offer as they were.

House held Cuddy close during ever slow song, taking in the scent of her hair, loving the way her body fit into his, the way her hands lovingly caressed his neck, his shoulders, his arms, as they swayed to the music, loving the way she held onto him …_so tightly_, the love she had for him on full display for anyone who happened to look in their direction. And there were people who did look, guys checking her out again with their tongues wagging, but also, girls giving him a sideways glance when Cuddy's head was turned, their eyes telling him they didn't give a damn about the attractive brunette he was with as they smiled at him.

He had often heard of how people would gravitate towards a couple who seemed so deeply in love, wanting to feed off of what the two of them had found, wanting to steal away a part of the magic that they had created and take it for their own. He of course had never believed in such a thing until tonight, until he had seen it for himself, the realization keeping him holding onto Cuddy just as tightly as she was holing onto him, holding onto what they had found in each other for fear of it slipping through his fingers and crashing unto the floor beneath them.

###############################################################

The sky above them was filled with stars, the full moon, suspended in the dark night and giving the sand at their feet an ethereal glow as they watched the tide roll in from the shore.

It was nearly three am; the bars now closed, the people on the streets now headed inside for the night.

They had snagged a blanket from the condo before sneaking out to the desolate spot on the shoreline, that same blanket , now rolled out beneath them, keeping the sand at bay, the two of them having just kicked off their shoes.

House was seated behind Cuddy, his legs parted, knees bent as she had nestled between them, her back resting on his chest, her head resting on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her.

They had both been feeling pretty good after a few drinks at the bars and had just gotten done smoking a joint to enhance the euphoric wave they had been riding on for hours now.

House closes his eyes, listening to the sound of the waves rolling into the sand, his brain honing in on the movement of the water, a happy smile on his face as the girl he loved with all of his heart was resting comfortably in his arms.

Cuddy had her eyes closed too, her ears listening to the sound of his breathing mixing in with the crashing waves.

"Can we stay here forever?" She asked, softly and with a voice almost resembling a child as her hands found his, her heart aching at the thought of how perfect night the night had been and how there would be no guarantee they could ever recapture this kind of sweet serenity as he made his way out into the world without her.

House opened his eyes, the sea black and endless before them. "We'll find a way to make it work, Cuddy." He told her, with far more conviction than his brain had warned him he should have.

She turned, still wrapped up in his arms but able to face him directly as he moved his right leg over to accomidate her.

"I want you to know, I never had a best friend before I met you." she told him, needed him to understand how his important to her he truly was, needing him to know his impending departure would cut her deeper than just her boyfriend would be leaving for college as he had become s much more to her.

House felt his throat get tight, his jaw clenched as felt the force of her words reach deeper inside of his heart than he ever dreamed anyone could go.

"Neither have I." He replied simply, his voice strained, looking down at her and wondering just how in the hell he was ever going to make it up in Boston without her beside him.


	23. Chapter 23

**Okay, I hope you're ready for a loooooooooooong chapter because that's just what I have to offer you. Also, thanks for the continued reviews, I really enjoy reading them. Now…off you go…. ****J**

**Chapter 23**

It was morning, barely past five am when Lisa Cuddy opened her eyes and was greeted by sun just as it had started to make its appearance in the horizon outside of her window. It only took a moment for her thoughts to gather inside of her head, only the briefest of seconds before she felt the significance of today weighting down heavy upon her chest.

House was leaving today; his belongs already packed inside his mother's old station wagon, which had been handed down to him as his mode for transportation during his next four years of college. The boy she loved stronger and with more depth than she ever thought was possible was leaving her and even though they both knew this day was coming, it didn't help to calm the river of heartbreak already moving inside of her.

Before she could get swept away in the current however, she rose from her bed and practically sprinted into the bathroom, her feet echoing softly on the hardwood floors as she raced against the clock, already determined to squeeze the most out of every last ounce of time she had with Gregory House before he headed to Boston.

###############################################################

House was still trapped inside his dreamless slumber when he heard the knock on the door, the frantic tapping coming again when it failed to fully wake him from his sleep.

He cursed as he looked over at the digital clock by his bed, his body not working with him yet as stumbled around inside of the room, grabbing a pair of sweats from the floor and pulling them over his long legs before he made his way to the door.

_It has to be my old man,_ he thought, the grumpy bastard no doubt itching for his son to get on the road and out of his life as soon as possible.

House's mother had of course wanted both of them to follow their son up to Boston so they could help him unpack, but House had declined the offer, not wanting to spend any more time than was absolutely necessary saying his goodbye to the man who had caused him so much pain in his life.

"I told you I was getting up at eight." House muttered as he opened the door.

"Did you really think I was going to let you leave without going on one last ride with you?" Cuddy said to him, standing in the doorway with the morning sun behind her as she smiled up at him.

_She looked amazing this morning, dressed in a gray wool coat, black tights and black boots. The outfit, of course meant to keep her warm on the back of his motorcycle_ as the last day in August was unseasonable chilly.

"So are you talking about riding me, or my motorcycle?" He asked with a grin as she stepped inside.

"If you're lucky, maybe both." She told him with a grin before standing up on her tip toes and giving him a kiss.

As he got dressed for their ride, he asked her where she wanted to go.

"Here." She said, taking the folded up piece of paper out of the front pocket of her jeans and handing it over to him.

House looked down at her with an amused smile before opening up the note, finding she had drawn out a crude map with three stars, those stars noting three separate places where she wanted him to stop during their ride. She had also wrote the names of each of the landmarks next to the stars.

"So the diner, the school and the estate?" He questioned.

She nodded. "Do you think we can go to all of those places before eight?" She asked, watching as he folded the note back up and tucked into the front pocket of his jeans.

"We're going to all of those places no matter how long it takes." He replied, leaning down to give her a soft kiss.

He lingered in the kiss for a moment, brushing his lips against hers before she opened her mouth to him, his hands resting on hips as she caressed his cheek with her fingertips, the loft, now stripped of all the things that were important to him, his albums placed in boxes along with his books, his posters rolled up and tucked strategically inside the station wagon to keep them from bending, his guitars, resting inside of their hard cases to protect them from damage as he buckled them in the back seat of the Vista cruiser. Everything was there, ready for the road ahead, ready for the future that awaited him, except for her of course.

As their kiss ended, he looked down into her eyes and thought about how unfair it all was, of how she should be going with him, the two of them able to conquer the world on their sheer stubbornness alone if they wanted to, but of course it could never be, Cuddy had her own path, her own dreams waiting for her after her senior year of high school and nothing either of them could do would ever change that fact.

"Come on, let's get going." She whispered up to him, taking his hand and knowing by the look in his eyes House was thinking about the same thing she had been during their kiss, of how their parting was so unfair, of how this would be the last time they would be alone together inside of his loft, the last time they would hold each other close inside of these four walls, shutting out the rest of the world out as the got lost in one another.

As they headed towards the door, House reached for the leather jacket hanging on the hook, Cuddy noticed it was different from the one he usually wore and asked him about it.

"My Mom bought it for me because she was afraid I'd catch pneumonia during the cold Boston winters if I wore my old one, considering how beat up it was." He told her.

She touched the soft leather of the new jacket, thinking to herself how she rather liked his old jacket as the creases and scuff marks on the coat told of a boy who spent many miles on the road, lost in his thoughts, with the wind in his hair and a powerful engine at his command, fueling his desires and dreams.

"You don't like it?" He asked as she studied the coat.

"No, it's a really nice jacket." She replied, knowing that sometimes you did have to let go of things from your past, even though it may hurt a little.

###############################################################

The diner was pretty much empty at this early hour, except for a group of four retired men who were seated at the bar, flirting shamlessly with the middle aged waitress who was serving them coffee.

"I remember the first time we ate here, after you got a glimpse at my psycho Dad and felt sorry for me." House remarked, the both of them now seated inside a booth near the large windows at the front of the diner.

Cuddy smiled over at him. "I never felt sorry for you." She told him.

He gave her a smirk. "Okay, after you realized that even though my Dad was a rat bastard, you still had the hots for me and were willing to look past my dysfunctional family." He offered.

Her smiled grew wider. "That's better." She agreed just as the waitress brought them their breakfast.

They both thanked the waitress and House proceeded to dig in, the plate consisting of eggs, bacon, home fries and toast quickly disappearing into his mouth until he felt Cuddy's eyes upon him.

He looked over at her, the plate before her hardly touched, her hands wrapped around the steaming cup of coffee she was holding.

"Cuddy." He warned, seeing the sadness filling her eyes.

She shook her head. "Sorry." She apologized, placing her coffee cup on the table and reaching for her fork.

He gave her a small smile. "No need to be sorry, I just wanted to know if I could have your bacon." He teased, just so he could replace her frown with a smile.

###############################################################

The high school was deserted when House pulled into the parking lot as the new school year would not start until the following Monday.

After they had both gotten off of the motorcycle, Cuddy took him by the hand, leading him to the back of the building.

"Sex behind the bleachers? Cuddy, you shouldn't have." House teased as they rounded the corner, the view of the football field now directly before them.

Cuddy laughed at his words, "Actually, I was thinking maybe we could go over there and sit for awhile." She said, pointing over to the oak tree in the back of the school were they often sat eating their lunch together, the same spot where she had felt the sparks of the fire that had become them.

He looked in the direction she had alerted him to, seeing that a thin, blue blanket had been placed under the tree.

"What are you up to?" He asked, looking over at her as they headed towards the tree.

"It's a surprise." She told him.

He removed his hand from her own and wrapped it around her waist as they walked the last few steps towards the tree.

"A surprise as in a quickie under the old oak tree?" He asked suggestively.

"Sit." She instructed to him when they reached the tree.

After he sat down she took a spot next to him and reached f behind the tree, pulling out a box, wrapped in shiny blue paper, which she then placed onto his lap.

"Cuddy, you already gave me a going away gift." He said.

"I know, but this is special." She told him with a soft smile.

He shook the present. "Hmmm it doesn't sound like the pony I asked for Christmas." He joked, looking over at her as she rolled her eyes.

"_Will you just open it." _She urged over to him.

He smiled at her and then tore the paper, opening up the lid of the box next and finding a framed eight by ten certificate inside of it.

His brow furrowed at first as he read the official looking document.

On the top of the page was a stamp to an organization he never heard of and underneath that was his name in large, bold font and beneath that was a message in smaller font….

_This Certificate is to be used as proof of intent that your girlfriend, Lisa Marie Cuddy, has convinced her parents to let her come up to Boston to visit you during her spring break. _

_This certificate also entitles you to as much sex with your girlfriend as you can squeeze in during the above agreed upon time on the condition that you always wear a condom. _

_This certificate has been issued under these strict guidelines of Joe and Arlene Cuddy, who, although they have agreed to these terms, of course have no idea their daughter is presenting this certificate of guaranteed hot, unbridled, and frankly…. mind-blowing sex to her boyfriend._

_This certificate is non-refundable, however if any sex needs to be repeated to ensure quality, Lisa Marie Cuddy has agreed for this allowance._

_In the event that Joe and Arlene Cuddy somehow find out about this certificate it would of course render this certificate to be null and void." _

House was shaking his head, grinning from ear to ear as he read the document, wondering how on earth he had been so lucky to find someone as amazing as Lisa Cuddy.

"So you're really coming up?" He asked when he finished reading the certificate she had given to him.

"Really." Cuddy assured him happily.

"How on earth did you pull this off?" He questioned.

"My mom reasoned with my Dad that she'd rather have me up in Boston with you then down in Fort Lauderdale getting drunk off my ass and doing god knows what else with the rest of my class." She told him.

House nodded. "Mama Cuddy is a very wise woman. Better to leave her wild child in the capable hands of a man who knows how to control her than to have her down in Florida, sowing her wild oats."

"Control me?" Cuddy questioned with a disgusted expression as House laughed at her.

"And we both know I wouldn't be sowing anything without you around." She added with a gentler tone.

House placed the certificate behind him and kissed her, pulling her close to him before he lowered her down onto the blanket.

"Okay maybe not _control_ as much as fulfill your sexual appetite." He joked, before he moved his lips to her neck, gently biting her soft skin.

Cuddy squirmed underneath him, her hands gripping onto the back of his jacket.

"House, stop!" She protested with a gasp when his hand moved between her legs, cupping her pelvis.

House looked down at her, then across the lawn and over at the parking lot. "Why? No one's here to catch us." He whispered with a smile.

The desire in his eyes for her was front and center, as well as the delicious ache he had so easily caused between her thighs, but Cuddy was on a mission.

"We still l have one more place to go." She reminded him, determined to keep them on track of what she had planned for them.

He sighed and rolled off of her. "Okay, just as long as I get another certificate to screw you senseless when we get there." He agreed, having no idea that something much better was awaking him in that lonely mansion up on the hill.

###############################################################

The fireplace inside the master bedroom at the estate had quickly vanquished the chill from the air after Cuddy had asked House to turn it on while she excused herself and went into the master bathroom.

Cuddy had also requested House to strip out of his clothing and settling into the velvet comforter and satin sheets on the king sized bed. Too say he was more than eager to see what surprise she had for him this time was certainly an understatement.

"Come on Cuddy!" He yelled from the bed, his dick already hard with anticipation.

"Just one more minute….I promise." She told him.

He let out a sigh of frustration, laying in the bed with the sheets pulled up to his hips, his eyes gazing up at the ceiling as he studied the mural of a summer garden that had been painted upon it.

When she finally opened the door to the master bathroom and stepped into the bedroom, he was speechless.

Cuddy's stood before him, dressed in a red satin push up bra, matching red lace panties, red stockings (connected with the garter belt around her waist) and wearing a pair of red, six inch high heels.

She smiled over at him as he looked at her with his jaw nearly hitting the floor. "I take it you like my surprise?" She asked.

He nodded, still unable to speak, still in awe of the perfect girl, no correction…..the perfect _woman_ standing before him as no mere girl could pull this sort of thing off with such confidence.

"Are you sure you didn't just turn twenty-one instead of seventeen?" He asked her, his erection suddenly growing harder at the exquisite site before him.

Her smile grew wider. "There's also something new I'm wearing for you in honor of your departure." She told him in soft seductive tone before spinning around slowly.

A soft laugh escaped her lips when she came face to him with him again, the express on his face priceless, as if she had just offered a staring man a t-bone steak.

"Do that again." House whispered, sitting up a bit straighter in the bed, his dick now throbbing, his eyes practically bugging out of his head at the vision of her perfect ass framed in the little red thong.

Cuddy giggled and spun around once more, making sure to not rush the act, giving him plenty of time to ogle her ass all he wanted.

When she made the complete rotation this time, she jumped in surprise as she found him out of the bed and a merely breath away from her.

"House…"

She never got the rest of her sentence out, his lips lowering onto hers in an instant,

Cuddy felt her knees instantly go weak with desire, a liquid heat building between her thighs as he moved his hand down to her behind, his fingers gently caressing the round flesh first before giving each of her cheeks a firm squeeze.

"You have no idea how sexy you are." He whispered into her ear, his right hand squeezing her ass again as his moved his lips to her neck.

Cuddy felt her heart pounding inside of her chest, beating with the frenzied rhythm of a caged, wild animal as he continued to caress and squeeze her, his hot tongue licking her skin, his teeth, gently biting her nape, her collar bone, his strong hand coming up to cup her breast.

He spun her around and guided her towards the bed; she lowered her head and captured his lips once more, her left hand moving to his chest, her fingertips brushing over his nipple.

"Stand here for minute." He asked of her after their lips parted, his eyes looking deeply into hers as he got down on his knees.

He kissed her everywhere imaginable, starting at her navel and traveling south with great care, his lips caressing her skin, his tongue tasting every exposed inch of flesh that was in front him, and what was not in direct view to him was quickly exposed as his right thumb pulled the fabric aside that covered what he desired most of all.

Cuddy took in a sharp breath when she felt his warm tongue beginning to explore her, her hands gripping onto his shoulders as his tongue traveled over her, inside of her, darting and massaging, his left hand gripping her ass possessively as he held her in place, his right hand making sure the fabric of her panties would not get in his way.

She moaned, her hips flexing forward as his mouth as he concentrated on her clit, his tongue unwavering as it pressed into her, riding up and down on her, hot, ready and insistent on its mission to drive her towards her orgasm.

House listed to the sounds of Cuddy's rapid breathing, the sounds of her soft moans as his tongue continued to taste her, his cock aching when she let out a gaps and widened her stance for him, wanting more of him, always wanting more, her fingers twisting in his hair when he let out a deep moan, his lips gently sucking on the part of her that was wet, and soft, and begging him for more.

"I want you inside of me." She told him a second later, her left hand moving to his face and titling his chin up, her eyes locking onto his as he looked up at her.

She didn't have to ask him twice as he was on his feet in no time.

"Sit on the bed." He said, nodding over to the mattress behind them, his eyes never leaving her face as she did what he had asked.

He then knelt down before again.

"Think we can get these off while leaving everything else on?" He asked her, his hands on her hips and already starting to remove her panties.

"I think so." Cuddy agreed, feeling dizzy, feeling frantic and hungry, and quickly helping him with his task by lifting up a bit from the mattress so he could free her from the thong, watching him as he carefully undid the garters resting on her thighs.

He then slid the panties down her legs, guiding them over her stockings and her high heels, bringing her left knee up to his mouth and kissing it gently as she watched him before he suddenly gripped onto her hips and pulling her closer to the edge of the bed, her left leg now slung over his shoulder as he buried his face between her thighs, filling her with tongue , stroking it inside of her with an insane desire that left her crying out with pleasure, his mind and soul possessed by her and driven to leave no doubt inside her mind that he was hopelessly and willing under her spell, unable to control himself.

"House please… I can't wait." She warned with another cry of passion, wanting all of him, wanting what was below his waist, hard, thick and ready for her to come thrusting inside of her so they could become one.

He withdrew his tongue and gave her one last soft kiss between her thighs, smiling at her as she looked down at him, his mind relishing in the sight of the flush in her cheeks, in the bewildered expression on her face.

He rose to his feet.

"Sorry, you taste so good; it's kind of hard for me to stop sometimes." House told her sweetly as she stared up at him, the feeling of pride he carried with him in regards to being the only guy who could bring to such a state an honor he would never take for granted.

"You're forgiven." She replied softly, scooting back on the bed a bit when he suddenly stopped her, his hand reaching for her ankle.

"Oh no Cuddy, I think right here is fine." He told her, his voice a little deeper now as he gently pulled her body towards the edge of the mattress.

_God…..the way he talked to her, the way he requested sexual positions, never by demanding, but by seductively asking her with that deep voice of his and that look of desire in his eyes, well…. she was powerless against him when he did that to her._

As he pulled her close to him in her seated position, she took the opportunity to kiss his navel with her hands resting on his hips, feeling him tremble in response.

"I want you so much." She breathed into his skin, placing another soft kiss onto his flesh as her left hand gently caressed his thigh.

"Lay on your back, Cuddy." He instructed, his voice strained form desire as his thumb swept over her cheekbone.

Her dark hair was fanned out across the red satin sheets, her breasts practically spilling out of the bra she was wearing, every inch of her perfection in the morning light, toned legs, flat stomach and the sweet treasure between her thighs, all offered up to him with the expression of love, desire and aching need on her face.

His hands gripped onto her hips, pulling her even closer to the edge of the bed as he watched her bite down on the bottom lip.

_He loved it when she did that, when she looked at him that way, telling him without saying a word how much she loved him, telling him how eager she was to feel him inside of her, of how he was the only one she wanted like this, the two of them sharing this sacred passion, of how he was the only one who had captured not only her body, but her mind as well as their connection was a strong and sturdy as the gaze between them now inside the room._

He felt her hands latching onto his wrists, he watched her legs bend before she rested them onto his chest, toes pointed towards the ceiling, high heels resting on opposite side of his cheeks, he watched her face change, her lips part, her chest rise slightly as he slowly pushed himself inside of her, not wanting to rush the moment as this last time between them before he would leave for college needed to be just as special as she was to him.

He started to thrust his hips in a slow, steady rhythm, his right hand freeing itself from her grip and moving to her stomach before traveling up to her bra. He palmed her breast and squeezed it while continuing to rock his hips into hers, she responded with a soft sigh and he watched as she used her free hand to reach up and pull that side of her bra down, allowing him uninhibited access to her breast.

He hand moved to her nipple and the rolled it between his thumb and index finger before using his thumb to rub over the hard, little nub while he squeezed the weight of her breast.

It didn't take long for her hunger to build once more, her eyes keeping him in their gaze as she lowered her legs a bit, alerting him that she was ready for more. He reacted, hooking her legs with his elbows, both of his hands holding onto her hips once more and tilting her pelvis up towards the ceiling, up toward him and thrusting of his hips.

The cry of pleasure that escaped her mouth from his maneuvers sent a surging wave of adrenaline up into his spine, threating to take him more quickly to his own orgasm than he wanted.

He fought against the primal instinct to thrust into her wildly at this point and instead slowed his rhythm, his fingertips caressing her skin, pumping into her slowly and forcefully, deliberating aiming for the spot inside of her that would cause her to suddenly gasp for air, the part that would have her trembling beneath him, thighs shaking, eyes wide and open, the part that would leave a fine shine of sweat on her body as he drew everything she had inside of her, every drop of pleasure, every ounce of lust and the love she had for him breaking through the surface, leaving her blissfully trapped in the wavers of her orgasm, that same part of her now free from its hiding place, leaving him dizzy and with his legs feeling like worn out rubber bands as her hips started to move up and down on him as he stilled and she pulled everything he had inside of him out into the daylight, her fingers gripping onto his biceps as he leaned down closer to her, her lips showering with hot kiss as she tightened around him internally, her love for him, drawing everything he had inside of him out into the light until they both felt dizzy and exhausted , until the only thing left to do was to hold each other in the afterglow and steady their breathing, until neither one of them could ever deny that what they had between them was as real and powerful as the brilliant morning sun that had bore witness to the magic created inside that room.

###############################################################

An hour later, Cuddy felt as if she was trapped inside of a dream, one she wished she could wake up from before the part she had dreaded would come reaching out for her as she would remain powerless to stop it.

"Good luck up there and let us know if you need anything." Joe Cuddy said to House as he shook the young man's hand.

Cuddy's entire family was standing outside of their house, saying their goodbyes to the boy she loved as he stood by the old station wagon, his departure only a few minutes away now.

Cuddy closed her eyes, the memory of her and House up in the mansion a few hours ago, still fresh inside of her mind, her body still haunted by the ghost of his touch, his kiss, the sound of his voice, and the feel of him inside of her as they made love inside the master bedroom.

"I know you'll fine. Just remember I'll still be keeping my eye on you whenever you come to visit." Arlene whispered into House's ear as she gave him a hug.

"I would expect nothing less from you." House replied back to her with smirk before looking down at Cuddy's younger sister.

"See you later booger eater." He told Julia with a smirk.

The girl rolled her eyes at him.

"I can't believe someone so immature is going to college." Julia commented back to him smartly, just before her eyes suddenly welled up with tears and she grabbed hold of him, giving him a hug.

House looked over at Cuddy with disbelief, his hand raised up in the air as if he was being robbed at gunpoint.

Arlene let out a soft laugh, motioning for House to at least pat her poor daughter on the back, which he then did.

"Okay Julia…..well….don't get into any trouble while I'm gone." He found himself saying to Cuddy's sister as she let go of him.

"Okay." She responded back to him, wiping her tears away and heading for the waiting arms of her mother.

As House turned his gaze back to Cuddy, her father spoke.

"We'll give you two sometime alone." Joe said before placing his arm around his wife.

Cuddy waited until her family was back inside to turn and face House again.

"It's getting late, you better go." She told him sadly.

He took her hand in his own. "Planning another kissing session with Jason as soon as I hit the road?" He teased, not knowing what else to say in that moment.

She closed her eyes, feeling the sting of tears threating to fall, holding back the soft moan of sadness threating to escape her mouth as he wrapped his arms around.

"It will be okay Cuddy, we'll find a way to make it work…remember?" He whispered into her hair before kissing her cheek.

She opened up her eyes and nodded. "I know." She replied, even though a part of her silently told her it was a foolish thing to do so.

They didn't speak much after that, neither of them able to find the right words as House held onto to Cuddy's hand and walked her over to his side of the car.

"I'll call you on the way and as soon as I get to my dorm. Okay?" He said after kissing her and getting inside the vehicle.

"Okay." She responded, stepping back from the station wagon as he turned over the engine.

##############################################################

House had been on the interstate for nearly a half an hour when he saw the red mustang coming up from behind him.

He checked the rear view mirror…._twice_, making sure it was really her, knowing there was no doubt it was Cuddy as when she started to flash her lights at him and honk her horn, her foot no doubt pressing the gas pedal to the floor as she was almost directly behind him now.

He pulled over to the side of the road, watching as she did the same, his hands fumbling with his seatbelt as he tried to free himself from it, his ears filled with her voice, with the sound of his name being called out desperately to him as he finally was able to exit the car.

_"House! House!" _

She came running up to him as if her life depended on it, practically knocking him over as she jumped up into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist.

He held them steady, his back leaning against the door to keep them balanced as she buried her face into the crook of his neck.

"I love you, more than I'll ever love anyone." She whispered into his neck, closing her eyes in an effort to keep her tears from falling.

"I love you too, Cuddy…..more than anyone else." He answered, closing his eyes as well, the sounds of the passing cars around them melting away, the two of them the only thing that mattered in this entire world to him.

When he felt the warmth of tears on his skin, his chest tightened, the panic rising up inside of him as they were finally confronted with the fear of what was going to happen to them.

"This isn't goodbye, Cuddy." He said, holding her a little tighter, unwilling to let any doubt come between them.

"You hear me? This isn't the end for us. We can make. Tell me you believe that." He insisted.

She nodded into his shoulder.

"Look at me." He told her, needing to see her face, needing to make sure she was okay.

When her eyes met his gaze, the pain in chest increased, she was utterly devastated, the fact that she had been so strong for so long regarding his departure, now falling to the waste side and shattering into a million pieces as her emotions had finally gotten the best of her.

"Say it Cuddy, tell me you believe in this, in us." He pushed, not will to let her go until he knew she was back where he needed her to be.

"I believe in us." She answered, closing her eyes when he wiped the last stray tear from her face.

_She hated feeling like this, hated making him feel so bad about leaving when he had every right to follow his dreams_.

"I'm sorry House…I'm sorry for…."

"Don't ever be sorry about us." He told her, turning them around so he could set her on the hood of the car.

Even though he had eased her down onto the hood, he kept his arms around her, her legs still wrapped around his waist, his hand moving to the curve of her neck as he kissed her, giving her the comfort he knew she could never ask him directly for as it would make her feel guilty for needing him so much even though it was an equal need on both of their parts.

She kissed him back, the sound of a horn blaring as a car sped past them, causing them to break free from their embrace..

"I'll be okay, I promise." She told him as he looked down at her.

"I know you will. You just have to remember that sometimes you have to lean on me instead of trying to stand on your own all the time." He said to her, resting his forehead against hers.

###############################################################

She felt so lonely on the drive back home to her place, still aching, still grieving the loss of the person who had become as important in her life as the air she was currently taking into her lungs.

Her father had met her at the door, giving her hug and telling her that he loved her, telling her that although he couldn't make the hurt go away, he would do anything she needed him to in order to ease the pain little by little.

Her mother was in the living room, helping Julia with her custom for the school play, Cuddy met her gaze briefly, enough so that her mother could mouth the words _I love you_ and with a silent promise to check on her later as she headed up to her bedroom.

She had been up in her room for a little over an hour, a few more tears falling from her eyes as she stared staring blankly out at the window near her bed. She never dreamed she would have gotten in so deep, never dreamed that her plans of coasting through high school with only some minor emotional attachments to the people she encounter there could have gone so astray, leading her here and to a place where she swore to herself she would not go until after she had some time in college under her belt, until after she had gotten to the point in her life when her desire to become a physician was well under way.

But he had been worth it, worth every step, worth every ounce of heartache she was feeling right now and she would do it all over if given the choice, would have loved him just as fiercely, would have given her heart to him just as willing.

Wiping away her tears, Cuddy came to another realization; she now believed in a soul mate, in that one person who knew you better than anyone else and who understood in a such way that had to be written in the stars. She laughed softly when she thought of how cheesy the notion sounded, knowing that if she confessed such a thing to her parents, or to anyone else with more life experience than her they would surely think she was overthinking the whole thing, still emotionally reeling from the separation of her first, true love and so unsure about the what the future would hold for her and House that she was placing entirely too much importance on their relationship, but she knew better, knew that she would fight tooth and nail to keep Greg House in her life, no matter what the cost.

A soft knocking at her door pulled her from her thoughts.

"Come in." She said.

Her mother opened the door, carrying a large, cardboard box with her.

"This just came for you in the mail." Arlene said to her daughter, a bit of her own heart breaking at the sight of seeing Lisa so distraught.

Cuddy took the package from her mother, not sure what it could be as she hadn't ordered anything by mail, nor was she expecting anything from anyone.

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" Arlene asked.

Cuddy shook her head. "No, you can stay." She told her mother, moving over on her bed so her mom could sit beside her.

Arlene sat down and watched as her daughter studied the package.

"There's no return address." Cuddy remarked before peeling back the tape that had been placed to keep the top flaps of the box closed during shipping.

When she opened the box and saw what was inside, Cuddy felt the tears coming to her eyes again, biting down on her bottom lip to keep them at bay as she pulled the worn, leather, jacket free from the box.

"That's House's jacket, right?" He mother questioned to her.

Cuddy nodded, unable to speak as she held the jacket out in front of her.

Arlene studied her daughter's expression. "This jacket means something to you." She stated.

Again Cuddy nodded. "House used to let me wear it all the time, whenever I was cold and forgot my own jacket."

This time Arlene was the one who found her eyes threatened with tears, however she was quick to shoo them away for her daughter's sake.

"What a thoughtful going away present. I guess I'll have to ease up on House a little bit and not give him such a hard time the next time I see him." She remarked, as she wrapped her arm around her daughter and gave her a hug.

Cuddy laughed, moving past her heartache for a moment and realizing the story House had told her this morning about his mother getting him a new jacket had been a lie as he had obviously bought the new coat himself and reserved this one for her to keep.

After her Mother excused herself to start make dinner, Cuddy got down off her bed, slipping House's jacket on and looking over at her reflection in the floor length mirror inside of her room.

It was of course big on her, but the smell of him was now surrounding her, along with all the memoires they had shared when this jacket had been worn by one of them.

It was only when she shoved her hands inside the pockets of the jacket that she found the note House had tucked inside of it…

_Something to keep you warm while I'm away._

_Forever yours,_

_House_

Cuddy was still staring down at the note when she heard the phone start to ring downstairs, her heart leaping inside of her chest when her mother called up to her.

"Lisa, its House."


	24. Chapter 24

**A little Huddy to get you through hum day ;)**

**Chapter 24**

After House had left for college, Cuddy was determined not to wallow in self-pity, and instead filled her days with studying, tutoring and signing up for pretty much every club and extracurricular activity her high school had to offer in an effort to keep her mind busy while also moving forward towards the future that awaited her after graduation.

At first her parents had worried over how thin she seemed to be spreading herself, however after observing their daughter for a few weeks, they realized Lisa actually thrived in such an environment as her skills in multitasking and organization came to life like never before.

"You know, when Lisa first introduced me to House, I never dreamed he could be such a supportive and loyal boyfriend to our daughter." Arlene commented over to her husband as they sat at a table for two inside a very romance restaurant.

Joe Cuddy reached for his wife's hand from across the table.

"House can be a little rough around the edges, but I'm glad to see how committed he is to Lisa. It's certainly not something I was prepared for when it came to our daughter's first serious boyfriend." He agreed with a smile.

"You know, Joe, I know this may sound silly, but do you think they actually have a chance of ending up together once college is over for them both?" Arlene asked.

Joe thought about the question for a minute. "Hmmm I don't know, I mean realistically the odds aren't in their favor since they're going to be going two different colleges that are hours away from each other, but you never know….sometimes the underdog does win." He commented over to his wife while thinking of how beautiful she looked in the soft glow of the candlelight.

###############################################################

Cuddy was up in her bedroom, lying on her mattress, and with the phone pressed to her ear.

She had already changed for bed and was dressed in one of House's t-shirts he had left in her bedroom during a hot summer night when she snuck him up here after her parents had gone to sleep, the shirt kicked under the bed by him before he found his place on top of her and made love to her as the summer breeze from the open window caressed their naked bodies.

Shortly after House had left for college, Cuddy had begged her parents to have a phone line installed in her room, promising them she would pay for the extra charges on their bill with some of the money she received from tutoring. She also promised her parents that if her school work suffered in anyway because of her long distance conversations with House, they could cut off the service for the line and remove the phone from her room.

It was close to nine pm on Friday night and Julia was staying over at a friend's house, and with her parents out to dinner with a stop at a bar afterwards where a local jazz band was playing, Cuddy was alone for the next several hours, free to talk to her boyfriend about everything and anything their hearts desired.

"What are you wearing?" House asked on the other side of the line, lying on his bed and inside the dorm room he shared with a guy named Dillon.

The phone line House had installed inside of his room was of course completely against the rules, however he was pretty sure he would never get caught as he had covered his tracks pretty good and had also paid off his roommate to keep his mouth shut.

Cuddy laughed softly into the phone. "I take it Dillon isn't around tonight?"

"Actually he is and we have bet going on between us on whether or not I can guess the color of panties you're wearing tonight." House replied.

Cuddy rolled her eyes, even thought there was no way House could see her.

"If that's true, put Dillon on the phone." She requested

House smiled, his free hand rubbing his bare chest as he was dressed only in a pair of gym shorts he had slipped on after taking a shower.

"Okay, you caught me; now tell me the color of your panties." He replied.

She smiled, biting down on her bottom lip. "I'm wearing a black, lace thong."

Hearing him groan over the phone made her smile grow even wider.

"_Are you trying to kill me, Cuddy?_" House asked, thinking of how incredible her ass would look in that thong and how much he would give anything to be touching and squeezing that part of her right now.

"I just want to make sure you still want me when you come home for Thanksgiving break in two weeks." She said coyly, twirling the phone cord with her index finger.

"You know you never have to worry about that." He told her.

Cuddy smiled again, missing him so much and wanting to have him here with her, lying next to her on her bed, kissing her, touching her and taking her to the place where the rest of the world faded into the background.

"I can't wait to see you again." She confessed to him, resting her free hand on her stomach, her fingers slipping underneath the t-shirt she was wearing and gently stroking her skin.

"I can't wait to taste you again." House responded in a low whisper, picking up on the change in her tone, knowing what she needed next, or rather, knowing what they _both _needed to ease the ache between them at being separated from one another.

Cuddy felt her body react to the words he had spoken, the tiny flutter of excitement felt deep between her thighs and causing her hand to move lower towards her pelvis.

_"I want to have sex as soon as we can when you come home."_ She breathed into the phone as the weeks of pleasuring herself with her own hand while thinking of him could in no way begin to compare to the real thing.

House closed his eyes, the way her voice sounded just now, seductive and hungry for him, well …it was no wonder he had started to get hard just from hearing those words.

"Say that again." He asked of her, his hand moving under the shorts he was wearing and lowering to his semi hard cock.

"I want to have sex with you as soon as possible and I want to ride your dick until you cum inside of me." She responded immediately, her voice laced with passion and lust and all of it just for him.

He let out harsh gasp at hearing her, his hand having already started to move up and down on his shaft.

She heard his response over the phone.

"Are you thinking about me now, House? About me taking all of you inside of me? "She asked, knowing damn well he was as this act of phone sex between them was something they had perfected over the past few months as a means to see them both through until they could be together again.

"Yes." He replied back hoarsely, his thumb circling the tip of his penis.

"Can you feel me getting tighter around you?" She whispered.

"_Yes_." He groaned once more.

She closed her eyes, her hand slipping into the lace panties she was wearing. "You feel so good when you fuck me like that, House." She said, a soft gasp escaping her lips as her finger found her clit.

"Keep going, Cuddy." House pleaded with an ache, his eyes screwed shut, thinking of being on top of her with his dick buried deep inside of her soft, tight pussy.

"I'm touching myself right now, House, wishing you were was inside of me." Cuddy said to him in a hot whisper, another small breath of excitement escaping her lips as she moved her finger over her aching nub.

His breathing became threaded over the phone and she felt a wave of electricity shoot up into her spine.

"House, oh god …...right there! I'm so wet right now, just for you, only for you." She half whispered, half hissed as she stoked her own fire.

When he let out a ragged breath and started to gasp for air, she knew she had gotten him where he needed to be, her fingers however were still moving between her thighs, the sound of him climaxing making her ache for him all the more.

"Press your finger down on your clit, Cuddy, and hold it still until I say so." House ordered to her in a way he knew would send thoughts of him racing inside of her mind and between her legs.

Cuddy did as he asked, her body trembling as his words seeped into her flesh.

"Now move two of your fingers up and down slowly, I want you to feel where I wish my tongue could be right now." He told her, still holding onto his cock and feeling the rapid beat of his pulse running through it as he remained erect.

Cuddy arched her back a bit, struggling to hold onto the phone with one hand as she pleasured herself with the other.

"Can you feel me Cuddy? Can you feel me licking up every sweet part of you and fucking you with my tongue while your thighs are squeezing against my face?" He asked, knowing what those words would do to her, listening intently and hearing the sound of the phone being dropped onto her mattress, knowing she would quickly pick it up so he could enjoy what he had helped her create.

"Answer me, Cuddy." He said when he was sure she was cradling the receiver once more.

"Yes." She moaned, softly, urgently, her eyes closed as she rode the wave of pleasure to the surface.

She let him listen to the sounds she made, her hips bucking up towards the ceiling as her fingers continued to stimulate the part of her that was longing for him, her breathing, hard and labored as she kept her eyes closed, focusing on the memory of his face, of the way it felt to have him inside of her, filling her completely.

As her breathing slowly returned to normal, House spoke once more to her.

"I love you." He whispered softly, closing his eyes again as she repeated those same words back to him, wishing he could hold her in his arms and feel the warmth of her body against his own as he did not feel entirely whole anymore when she was away from him.

#########################################################

Five days later and at exactly four pm, Cuddy called House.

"Hello?"

"So how'd you do on your Physics exam?" She asked.

"Who is this?" He teased.

She rolled her eyes, once more lying on her bed, however this time fully clothed and having no plans for phone sex with House since everyone was home this afternoon.

"Come on, tell me?" She pleaded with him softly.

"I aced it, one hundred percent. The only thing missing was a gold star, but Professor Goldstein isn't really a gold star kind of guy." He told her.

"I knew you'd do great!" She replied happily.

He smiled on the other end of the line, her support for him something he truly cherished.

"So, any good gossip this week at our lady of perpetual shame?" He asked, lying on his bed as well and wishing like hell that she was here with him.

"Rumor has it Mrs. Swanson's husband found out about her affair with Mr. Sullivan." She told him.

House grimaced. "Ouch! Do you think they'll end up getting fired?" He questioned while looking up at the ceiling.

"I think it's pretty much a given since screwing around on your spouse is one of the big no-no's of the Catholic Church." She responded.

House scratched his head. "Okay, enough about those sinners, let's get back to my sweet little temptress and her sinful thongs."

Cuddy laughed. "You really like them huh?" She said with amusement, not wanting to say the actual word "thong" for fear of being overheard by her nosey sister, or worse by one of her parents.

House smiled. "Yes, even though I've only seen you in one pair, I'm glad you've decided to buy more of them, I just hope we have enough time over Thanksgiving for me to see your entire collection." He told her, his mind already running wild with what he wanted to do her when he came home for the four day holiday weekend.

"Well, we'll just put that on the top of the priority list." She said, flirting shamelessly with him.

"So what about the tutoring gig? Still raking in the cash?" He asked next, changing the subject as visions of Cuddy in a thong would only serve to give him blue balls.

Cuddy hesitated for a minute, knowing there was one in particular person House really didn't like her tutoring.

"It's going good." She replied.

"Still tutoring Jason?" He finally asked, unable to help himself.

'Yes, and you don't have to worry." She told him as they discussed this particular topic before.

"Actually when some guy tells me he's in love with my girlfriend I think _it is_ something to worry about." He stressed.

She frowned. "House, that was months ago, and Jason and Becca are in love, if you could see them now you'd realize it too."

House clenched his jaw, taking in a breath.

_Of course he trusted Cuddy without question, but Jason? No way in hell did he trust that guy, no matter what Cuddy said, he had seen the way Jason looked at Cuddy when he thought no one was notching him and the thought of the two of them alone together didn't exactly give him a warm and fuzzy feeling._

"If Jason ever tires anything, you'll tell me …right?" He questioned as some worst case scenarios started to plague his mind.

"House, nothing is going to happen. I love you, and Jason knows that, now let's talk about something else." Cuddy said, gently trying to pull him away from sensitive subject.


	25. Chapter 25

**There's just something about hump day ;) lol.**

**Chapter 25**

On the Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving, Lisa Cuddy was inside the local grocery store, picking up a bag of fresh cranberries for her mother, who was busy showing a home to some potential buyers. The inside of store was like a zoo, with seemingly everyone living in suburban town haven forgotten one thing or another as they prepared for the holiday, the aisles packed full of frantic adults, whiny kids and traffic jams of metal shopping carts.

As she maneuver he way through the produce section, Cuddy had already planned her escape route and would be heading up to the service desk to purchase the cranberries after retrieving them., leaving the mayhem of the busy store behind her as quickly as possible and without having to wait in the ever increasing check-out lines at the registers that were already getting backed up into the aisles.

However, just as she took hold of the last bag of cranberries on the shelf, another, much larger hand moved on top of hers.

"Excuse me, but I believe I saw these first." The male voice said with authority.

Cuddy felt her heart practically bursting free from inside of her chest.

"House!"

She was in his arms in an instant, holding him close, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked up at him while he smiled down at her, all six foot two of him, looking so incredibly handsome and strong and...

"You grew a beard." Cuddy remarked, her fingertips moving over the full set of whiskers on his jaw.

"Do you like it?" House asked her, taking in the scent of her perfume as he held her close.

_God he had really missed that, the smell of her perfume, the way her cool gray eyes were focused solely on him right now, and the way she held onto him so tightly, never wanting to let go of him._

"I love it! It makes you look _dangerous_." Cuddy whispered up to him with a grin just before she kissed him inside of the crowded supermarket.

"_Excuse me_." An old woman, with a sour face and an attitude to match said to them as she reached for the cranberries behind them on the shelf.

"Back off granny, or loose a kidney." House growled at the woman, grabbing the last bag on the shelf and quickly leading Cuddy down the aisle before she could scold him for his behavior.

###############################################################

"I thought you weren't coming until later this afternoon?" Cuddy asked House as she paid for the cranberries at the service desk.

"I got an early start." House said to her casually with a shrug, not letting on to the fact that he had awoken at three am this morning because of being so excited to see her again.

After the cashier handed Cuddy the bag and the receipt for her purchase, she took hold of House hand as they walked towards the exit and out into the cold November air, a shiver running through her as the wind played with her long, dark hair.

"I still can't believe you're here." She said to him with a smile, letting go of his hand so she could zip up her coat.

House smiled down at Cuddy, proud of the fact that she wore his old leather coat, essentially announcing to everyone at her high school that the two of them were still very much an item, even though he was away at college.

"I still can't believe how amazing your boobs look tucked inside my old coat." He teased back at her, pulling her closer to him as they continued to walk side by side.

"Do you want to go over to your parents' house first?" She asked him as they walked towards the spot in the parking lot where his station wagon parked beside her mustang.

"I'd rather go to your parents place first." He told her.

She stopped in her tracks just before they had reached their vehicles.

House had been keeping her in loop regarding his mother's continued affair, which she had ultimately confessed to his father almost two weeks ago when she had told him she wanted a divorce, however at this moment…both of his parents were still under one roof.

"Are things really that bad a home?" She asked him.

House nodded, looking down at the ground for moment before looking back up at her.

"I just want a few hours or normalcy. Which I know is a stretch considering I'll be spending time with _your family_, especially that bratty little sister of yours." He reasoned, while of course trying to make light of situation that had him a bit on edge.

"Well….I'm sure Julia will be thrilled to have tormentor under our roof again." Cuddy replied to him with a smile, determined to make House's visit home the best it could be, even with the issues going on with his parents.

###############################################################

As they left the supermarket, House followed behind Cuddy's mustang in his station wagon, confused for a moment when she suddenly made a right turn, until he realized she was leading them away from the route to her parents' home and towards the mansion, however…. when Cuddy pulled off onto old dirt road just halfway to the estate and began driving slowly down the isolated path until they were deep into the forest and surrounded on all sides by tall, fat pine trees he wasn't quite sure what she had in mind.

Shutting of the engine and putting the station wagon into park, he got out of his car at the same time she did, his eyes questioning hers as she walked towards him until she gave him the kind of smile that could melt a man where he stood.

"So….is this some kind of nature walk?" House asked, playing dumb while she stood toe to toe with him.

"I thought I could wait until we got up to the estate…but I want you, _now_." She whispered up to him, finding every inch of him totally irresistible at the moment as she had been denied the pleasure of his company for far too long.

"_Ooooh…_ so you want to..." He started to say with a grin, resting his hand on her hip.

"Shut up and kiss me before I freeze my ass off out here." She said to him before rising onto her tiptoes.

House pulled her close and kissed her passionately, the two them creating some heat between them while pressed against each other in the frigid air.

"Your car or mine?" He questioned, once they came up for air.

Cuddy looked in the back of the station wagon. "That seat still folds down, right?" She questioned.

He moved his hand to her ass and gave it a squeeze. "Only for sexy brunettes named Lisa Cuddy." He told her with a smile.

She kissed him again just for being so damn sweet to her in his own special way, and he of course gripped her ass a little firmer and deepened the kiss between them to show her that he meant every word he had said to her just now.

After sharing another kiss, House slipped back inside of the car started up the engine and turned the dial up on the heater to keep them warm before he got out of the car once more, stopping to kiss Cuddy as she stood there watching him with amusement.

He wasted no time folding down the back seat and unfolding a blanket he had tucked in the back of the station wagon for emergencies before taking her by the her hand.

"Your chariot awaits, M' lady." He told her and with a cheeky British accent that left her grinning from ear to ear.

It was physically awkward for them at first, trying to undress each other in the roomy, but still somewhat confided space, their kisses laced with giggles from her and laughter from him as they fumbled to unbuttoned, unzip and remove the several layers of clothing between them, that was until their amusement faded into the background and gave way to desire when they were finally both completely naked with House lying on top of Cuddy.

"I missed you." He whispered down to her, his thumb sweeping across her cheekbone as she laid beautiful, warm, and soft underneath him.

"I missed you too." She replied just before she kissed him.

Cuddy let out a soft gasp into the crook of House's neck as he moved his lips to her collarbone, the way he was touching her now, with his hands, strong but gentle as they caressed her body, the way he was kissing her, with his mouth rising from her flesh every now and then to find her mouth once more, the way his erection pressed into her thigh, making her hips to rise up in anticipation of what was to come.

When he lowered his mouth to her breasts she felt the ache inside of her being to build, his warm tongue and skilled hands making her heart race, her body yearning for more and more of him and the feelings he so easily drew out from within her.

"House, you don't have to do that, I'm ready." Cuddy half whispered, half moaned from underneath him as he kissed his way down to her thighs.

He looked up at her, the hunger in his eyes, making her breath catch in her throat.

_It had been far too long since she had seen that expression on his face_.

"Cuddy, I haven't had you like this in months, so just relax and let me work my magic." He told her with an eager smile, gently rubbing his beard on the side of her thigh before he placed a small kiss on the part of her that he was ready to explore with his tongue.

She kept her eyes locked on him, completely under his spell, the back of her fingertips brushing over his cheek as he began to taste her, his tongue delving inside of her every now and then as she took in an excited breath, that same tongue, traveling over every inch of her that would soon have her at his mercy.

House closed his eyes, concentrating intently on her reactions to his movements, needing her to give him everything she had inside of her….. every moan, every whisper of his name, every thrust of desire from her hips until he was sure she had been fulfilled beyond her wildest dreams.

Cuddy felt a wave of electricity coursing through her body, the air around them not enough to fill her lungs when she arched her back and spoke his name, her hand reaching out wildly into the space surrounding them, her fingertips swiping away the mist from the window to her left.

House gripped her hips tightly as her body came alive below him, he wasn't done with her by any means, _no way in hel_l...because rather than leaving her here on a perfectly acceptable road to her orgasm, his tongue continued its journey, stroking and teasing, strong and unyielding, searching to find just the right pressure, to find just the right spot that would...

"Oh god, _House_!"

She was practically convulsing, hips bucking up into his mouth as he drove his tongue inside of her, her slender hands gripping onto his shoulders, her short fingernails piercing his skin, the part of her she kept only for him... unleashed. and wild, and leaving him in awe as he looked up at her face and found every feature filled with such breathtaking emotion… for him, only just for him.

Cuddy felt the smile on House's face as he kissed his way from between her thighs and back up to her lips; her mouth receiving his tongue, the taste of her, shared between them as she reached beside them and grabbed the condom packet she had placed their earlier.

She put the condom on him without delay and he entered inside of her with her knees as his sides and her eyes looking into his own.

He went slowly, pausing every now and then to kiss her before he rose up onto the palms of his hands as much as the station wagon roof would allow him to, his arms supporting the weight of his upper body, enjoying the sensation of being inside of her again as her hands caressed his back, her lips parting as pushed himself deeper into her warmth, his eyes closing for a moment when he felt her contracting around his length, the two of them rekindling the love that had been left to smolder as the miles had separated them.

When Cuddy wrapped a legs around his waist, House lowered his head and breathed her name into the softness of her hair, thrusting deeper inside of her, his hands sliding underneath her and lifting her hips up a bit from the blanket, her moan of approval, laced with a soft whisper of his name, rushing him closer towards his orgasm, his head lifting, their foreheads touching, eyes connecting as he held her in place, the way her lips would part, the way her head would tilt back a bit….. leaving his lips to brush against her chin when he hit one particular spot inside of her, making it hard for him to breathe, his aim however remaining true as he hit the target again and again until she cried out and he lead them both towards ecstasy.


	26. Chapter 26

**The muse is in full gear and I had a little bit of time to write, so here you go…..**

**Chapter 26**

On Thanksgiving Day, House was stretched out on a couch inside Cuddy's basement, rubbing his stomach with his right hand and feeling stuffed beyond belief from the huge Thanksgiving spread Cuddy's parents had prepared as they celebrated the holiday.

"Julia's watching a movie upstairs with my parents, so we've got the basement all to ourselves." Cuddy announced, descending the stairs and finding House already sprawled out on one of the couches that connected to the large sectional sofa her parents had purchased after they had finished off the basement a few weeks ago, turning the empty space into a fully equipped entertainment room, complete with a large screen TV, poker table, bar and pool table.

House smiled over at Cuddy as she made her way over to him.

"I think I want to be adopted by your parents." He told her, having just admired the room before he pulled her down on top of him and kissed her.

"Lisa." He mother called from the top of the stairs.

"I swear she has some kind of sex radar." House whispered with frustration.

"Yes, Mom?" Cuddy answered while giving him a sympathetic smile.

"Would you please come here?" Arlene requested.

As she got up to leave, House squeezed Cuddy's ass, causing her to let out a gasp of surprise.

"Stop it!" She mouthed to him as he looked up at her, grinning from ear to ear.

Reaching the bottom of the steps Cuddy regained her composure as she looked up at her mother.

"What is it Mom?" She asked.

"Up here." Arlene said, pointing to where she was standing.

Cuddy made her way to the top of the steps, coming face to face with her mother.

"Lisa, I know you haven't seen House in a long time, and the two of you have probably been having sex every chance you get….." Arlene started to say, watching as her daughter's jaw dropped.

Meanwhile at the bottom of the stairs, however out of sight from both women, House held back his laugher as he eavesdropped on them.

"Oh Lisa please, I was young once too you know." Arlene said as her daughter stood before her like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

"I know Mom, it's just…..."

"Listen honey, let me just get to the point before you turn an even brighter shade of red." Arlene interrupted, placing her hand on her hip, "And by the way House, I know you're probably lurking in the shadows down there so you better listen up as well." She added, glancing down the steps before she focused back in on her eldest daughter.

"Now Lisa, even though _you're _almost eighteen, your sister Julia is not, and even though I know how much you miss House, I'm asking both of you to make sure while you're in Julia's presence, you are acting appropriately in front of her, because you know how much your younger sister looks up to you." Arlene stated.

Cuddy nodded. "I understand, mom." She said, as both of her parents had been more than understanding about her relationship with House, and all that it entailed.

"Me too, Mrs. Cuddy!" House yelled from his hiding spot.

Arlene held back her smile after hearing House's words. "Good, now go down and watch your movie, but make sure you're both rested up for the all night poker game this evening because I plan on cleaning House out of every last dime he has on him."

##############################################################

"I can't believe you're going against my mom's wishes even though you just agreed to them." Cuddy whispered to House as he pulled her down on the sofa with him again.

"I know it's hard for you to think about anything else but boning me, however I merely wanted you to lay with me while we watch the movie." House told her with a veined attempt of shaming her.

Cuddy shook her head, but found a spot in front him on the couch just the same and stretched out next to him.

"Remember…. no touching, or kissing, or grabbing of any of my lady parts." She warned him as he moved one arm under the curve of her neck while resting his hand on her hip.

"Just you remember not to touch my manly parts, especially when one of them is grinding against your ass." He whispered into her ear, smiling as giggled in response to his statement.

###############################################################

"Lisa. Lisa…. get up."

Cuddy opened her eyes to find her mother looking down at her.

"Mom, we didn't do anything….I promise. "She said in a half panicked whispered, feeling the warmth of House's body pressed firmly against her back.

"I know honey. I woke you up because Jason's at the door and he's insisting that he speaks to you." Arlene whispered down to her daughter.

House stirred, instantly coming awake and opening his eyes at hearing the conversation between mother and daughter.

Cuddy sat up on the sofa as House rolled onto his side, studying Arlene carefully.

Cuddy's mom looked worried, and that worried him.

"Did Jason say _why _he needed to talk to me?" Cuddy asked.

Arlene shook her head. "No, but he seems very upset. I tried to get him to talk to me, but he wouldn't."

"Okay." Cuddy replied, getting off of the couch and glancing back at House.

"I'll be right back." She told him.

He reached for her hand as her mother turned her back on them and started towards the stairs.

"Should I be worried?" He found himself asking of her.

"No." Cuddy told him before she removed her hand from his and followed her mother up the stairs.

###############################################################

House was sitting on the edge of the sofa, his hands intertwined, his eyes focused on the carpet below his feet as he waited for Cuddy to return to him.

_What the hell could Jason possibly want with her on Thanksgiving Day?_

His mind was racing towards some unknown dread that he felt would be hurled his way at any second, now even though he trusted Cuddy, more than any other person in his life, but Jason coming here and insisting to see her had revealed something to him that he hadn't thought of before.

_Jason trusted Cuddy too, _more than any of his other friends, and more certainly more than Becca, who he supposedly was head over heels in love with.

The thought bothered House on a level he had never felt before, the knowledge of another guy being so invested in _his girlfriend_, and seeking an emotional connection with her…. not sitting well with him at all, to say the very least.

When he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stair, he tried to push those feelings away, however seeing Cuddy, followed by Jason as she entered into room, sent all of those feelings of jealously and anger, no matter how unfounded, straight to his heart.

He locked eyes with the quarterback, the guy standing in front of him, having put on even more sculpted muscle since than the last time he had seen him.

"House, it's good to see you again." Jason said.

"Wish I could say the same." House replied back coldly, getting to his feet and thereby reminding the football player he still had a good two inches on him no matter how ripped the guy was.

"House, I need to talk to Jason alone." Cuddy said, standing between both of them.

House looked down at her, feeling hurt, however not knowing exactly why the emotion had come to him so strongly in that moment.

_Maybe it was because Cuddy and Jason would be sharing a conversation that was of an obvious intimate nature and did not include him, _House thought as he moved away from her and started towards the stairs.

"House, it's okay." Cuddy said to him, taking him by the hand as she walked the rest of the way with him.

He looked down at her and wondered just how close Cuddy had become with the quarterback, and not on a physical level or course as he wasn't afraid of that, but rather on a emotional level, because even though Jason was no match for him intellectually, the guy obviously had some kind of pull on Cuddy that kept her interested in him.

Looking up at him, Cuddy felt her heart breaking, just a little. House was so worried, so concerned over what her and Jason would be discussing it nearly caused her to ask Jason if House could stay with them, but she knew Jason would not spill any secrets under the watchful eye of a guy who was very intimating when it came to picking peoples minds.

"House, I love you, and this isn't about us…. or me and Jason." She added, trying to reassure him before giving him a small kiss.

House nodded, however not saying a single word in response to her as he made his way up the stairs before heading towards the kitchen and out the door.

##############################################################

"Excuse me, but I believe we have a poker match together?" Arlene Cuddy said, stepping out onto the front porch just a House made his way over to his station wagon.

"Change of plans." House replied, hating the fact that his throat had suddenly become tight, his feelings of betrayal, however unfounded, getting the best of him.

Arlene made her way over to him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"In case you haven't realized it yet, you aren't going anywhere until Jason moves his car." She told him, nodding back at the black BMW parked behind him.

House rolled his eyes at the car. "Does that guy even deserve a car like that? "He found himself asking Cuddy's mother of all people.

"Probably not." Arlene agreed with him, looking over at the car as well.

"Now come inside before we both catch pneumonia." She added.

House turned to face her. "No thanks, I want to give your daughter time alone with that jackass, seeing as how she rushed to be by his side." He grumbled.

Arlene laughed at first; before she saw the effect it had on him and she softened her features.

"You know House, I never thought of you as the jealous type." She commented over to him with calm voice.

"I'm not, it's just…"

"Good, then stop acting like ass and come inside so you and Lisa can talk about all this once Jason leaves." Arlene insisted.

##############################################################

It was nearly an hour later when Cuddy finally came back upstairs with Jason, the two of them whispering to each other out in the foyer while House sat on the couch in the living room next to Julia as Cuddy's parents where in the kitchen, making some snacks for the late night poker game.

"I think you should punch him the face." Julia whispered over to House, the two of them looking over a Cuddy and Jason from their vantage point in the living room.

"I don't want to get blood on your mother's floor." House whispered back at Cuddy's little sister, keeping his gaze focused on his girlfriend and the jock standing in front of her as they stood beside the front door.

A few more words were spoken between Cuddy and Jason before the football player hugged her tightly.

"_Oh my god_! If you don't slug him I will." Julia whispered again, watching as her sister gave the football player a pat on his back before the two of them separated.

"How much do you charge for knee to the balls?" House muttered over Julia, just before Cuddy opened the front door and Jason stepped out onto the front porch.

###############################################################

Cuddy was still in shock over what Jason had confessed to her when she asked House to come back downstairs with her, the fact that House had followed her without saying a word, only adding to the anxiety she was feeling.

"So what did that jackass want?" House asked once they were alone again.

"Becca's pregnant." Cuddy blurted out.

House let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank god." He exclaimed.

Cuddy frowned at him. "This is not a good thing." She said turning away from him as she started to pace the floor inside of the room.

He watched her, intently, those feelings of jealously returning to him.

"Maybe not for them, but who cares." He remarked.

She looked up at him as if he had just insulted her. "How can you be so heartless?" She questioned.

"How can you be so involved with the very people you can't wait to get away from once you graduate?" He shot back at her.

"I never said that!" She protested, not understanding why he was being such a jerk to her right now.

"Maybe not, but from the moment I first met you, all you've talked about was getting away from this place and going to college." He replied.

Cuddy rubbed her forehead with one hand, placing the other on her hip, she didn't want to be fighting with House, she loved him and she wanted to spend the next few days showing him how much she did love him instead of arguing with him.

"House, I care about Jason and Becca, and even though you obviously don't, I can't help but feel bad for them and what this baby means for both of their futures. So can you at least try and understand the way I feel, even if you don't agree with it, instead of getting angry with me over the fact that I do care about them?" She asked.

House took in a breath; she was right of course, he didn't give two fucks about the two idoits who had been playing with fire for quite some time now by using the "pull out" method instead of a condom or the pill, but …Cuddy obviously _did care_, and he even though he couldn't understand why…. it was better for her to care about her clueless classmates than for her come down here to him and tell him she had a fling with Jason, or worse, that she was in love with the good- looking quarterback who had every other girl he came in contact with falling at his feet.

And so he set his jaw, and let the anger building inside of him dissipate into the air around them.

"Okay fine, I understand that you care about Jason and Becca, but remember Cuddy, you can't live their live for them, or prevent them from making any more stupid decisions, just like you couldn't prevent Jason from knocking up his girlfriend in the first place. "He told her honestly.

Cuddy nodded in agreement to his statement, moving closer to him and taking hold of his hand.

"I know, but the one thing I can do is try and help Jason get into a good college in the hopes that he will have some sort of future for his family that doesn't involve working in a factory for the rest of his life."

###############################################################

It was close to one am by the time House had finally left Cuddy's place and drove home to his loft. The evening of playing poker with Cuddy's parents had been fun, especially when he had cleaned out everyone at the table, including Arlene, who set her jaw and glared at him when he bluffed his way through the last winning hand, however ever since Cuddy's conversation with Jason early in the day, the nagging feeling of jealously would not let him be and it was still with him as he ascended the stairs.

As he reached for the doorknob, he saw the folded up note taped in the center of it.

"Great." He grumbled, snagging the note and unfolding it so he could read what was inside.

_Come to the house when you get back._

There was no signature from the author, but he'd know the handwriting anywhere.

"You rang?" House said, walking inside the living room, the glow of his old man's cigarette piercing through the dimly lit room as he sat in the lazy boy chair.

John House said nothing at first, taking a sip from the glass of whiskey held in his hand first before he cleared his throat.

"Did you have fun over at your girlfriend's house? John asked his son, keeping his eyes focused on the window before him instead of turning to face his son as he addressed him.

"As much fun as a pig in slop." House replied, knowing it would piss the old man off.

John snuffed out his cigarette in the ashtray, before taking another sip of his whiskey.

"I've been married for nearly twenty years and this is the first time I've been alone on Thanksgiving Day." He told his son.

House felt a smile creep on his face, a laugh escaping his mouth, the kind that was anything but happy.

"You actually want me to feel sorry for you?" He asked his father with disbelief.

His father got up from the chair in a flash, intent on pinning his son against the wall as the anger and bitterness boiled over inside of him.

Before that could happen however, House grabbed him and pinned him up against the wall instead, a cry of surprise escaping his father's mouth and echoing through the empty hallway behind them.

"Get your damn hands off of me!" John ordered to he son.

House let him go of him, but stood his ground. "Sucks being on the receiving end, doesn't' it?" He questioned to his dad, feeling his heart racing, his eyes watching his old man for any sudden movement.

"I did what needed to be done to make you a man. This world we live in is a brutal place, and if you had ever served in a war you'd understand!" His father shot back at him.

"Except I wasn't the enemy dad, I was your son., but that didn't matter to you and now that I'm eighteen, your work is done, and you never have to worry about seeing me ever again… or your wife, who is sleeping in some else's bed tonight." House spat at him, the years of abuse he had taken from his father suddenly releasing some very ugly from inside of him

He was ready for the punch his father hurdled his way, blocking it with his forearm and nearly retaliating with a blow of his own to his father head, but he stopped, just before the connection could be made.

As House turned to leave, his Father grabbed hold of his shoulder.

"I was only doing what I thought was right." Said the man who had terrorized his son for years, his face looking so much older than he truly was.

"Well hopefully that will help you sleep at night because it sure as hell won't help me." House replied flatly before leaving the room.

###############################################################

It was still night, the sky thick with an endless blackness as the cold fingers of an impending winter reached up into the sky, when House suddenly felt the warmth of a naked body moving next to him inside of his bed.

He didn't wake at first as he had drank a few shots of whiskey from a bottle he had stashed underneath his bed to numb the emotions that had raged on inside of him after his altercation with his father, and thought he was merely on the edge of dream when he felt the soft kisses being placed on his arm, his neck, his lips.

He willed his eyes open when he felt a hand moving into the waistband of his boxes, finding Cuddy lying beside him, her face illuminated by the moonlight, her smile reaching into his chest and touching his very soul.

"I didn't like how things went for us today, so I needed to see you again." She whispered over him, her hand now stroking him below the waist, her lips pressing down onto his own.

He removed her hand from inside of his boxers, pinning it onto the mattress beneath them as he rolled on top of her, her eyes wide as he gazed down upon her.

"I never meant to make you feel bad because you care about people, even if I can't seem to do that at times." He said to her, needing her to believe those words more than anything.

"I know." She replied back to him, concerned over the tortured expression on his face right now as he stared down at her intently.

"House, is everything okay?" She asked, using her free hand to caress the side of his face.

He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them up to her once more.

"Everything's okay now that you're here with me." He answered before lowering his head and kissing her softly.

There was an underlining urgency in the way he made love to her that night and she picked up on it right away, his tenderness, mixed with such an aching need for her approval of him, of her desire to be with him, being reciprocated by her without hesitation, reassuring him that only he was the keeper of all of her secrets and the person she had let inside of her heart like no other, but also that no other person in her life could compare to what they had found together.

As dawn broke over the cold horizon and blessed the frost on the ground with its warmth, Cuddy remained in House's bed, cradled in his arms, her head resting on his chest, knowing that even though she may receive a lecture from her parents if she was caught sneaking back inside their home in the early morning night, she could not leave him just yet as the peaceful expression on his face as he slept beside her and with the sunlight softly kissing his cheek was something she could not bear to see come to an end, at least not until she was sure that whatever had him so terrified the night before would disappear back into the darkness where it came from as the new day outside of the window came to life.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

In the months following Thanksgiving, House and Cuddy were dealt with some serious roadblocks in their relationship as they continued in their long distance romance. The first disappointment, coming when House was unable to make it home for Christmas, due to a massive amount of snow being dumped onto the city of Boston, the next blow for them coming when House's mother had filed for divorce from his father, with the Tudor style house that House had called home during his senior year of high school, put up for sale in January and selling in February, the tender roots that had started to take hold there for him, suddenly pulled out of the ground before they could grow.

Driving by the loft after the new family moved into the home was hard on Cuddy, as the little bit of House that remained there was now gone forever. She pushed aside her own sadness however, when House had called her shortly after the sale of the home and had informed her that his mother was moving to California with her new boyfriend, while his dad had requested a transfer to a US base in Germany.

_"I'm sorry." Cuddy had told him over the phone._

_"There's nothing to be sorry about, Cuddy. The divorce is the best thing that could have happened to my Mom."_

_"But, she's so far away from you now." Cuddy responded, thinking of how awful it would be for her to be that far away from her own parents._

_"Stop worrying Cuddy, I promise I'll be fine, besides I still have you, at least for a few more months anyway before you head off to college." House responded._

_"You know you have me longer than that." She replied._

It was that conversation which had started the next discussion between them, the one that ended up taking a turn for the worst.

_"Besides, I'll be up in Boston with you in less than a month for spring break." Cuddy reminded him._

_"Sure you'll be here for a few days, but then you'll be back home." House replied._

_"But then you'll be back for the summer." _

They had planned it all out after House had told her that his parents home was sold, the idea that he would return to New Jersey and rent out a room from a woman her mother knew in town, thereby allowing him and Cuddy to spend the entire summer together, the plan being very reasonable considering House would find a part time job to cover the expenses he would incur during those few months he spent there.

When he didn't answer her right away, Cuddy felt her heart sink.

_"Cuddy, I have to stay in Boston over the summer." _

He heard her take in a soft breath, then silence.

_"Cuddy, talk to me."_

_"But we planned it all out…you said you would…"_

_"I just can't afford it Cuddy, even if I get a part time job down there it won't be enough. I need to work here, full time in the summer just to have enough money for the things I'm going to need during the next semester."_

Cuddy knew the divorce of House's parents left little money for Blythe to help her son, so she offered an alternative.

_"I could ask my parents could help you."_

_"No, I'm not borrowing money from your parents."_

_"It wouldn't be borrowing; I can pay them back for you." _

House closed his eyes, the news he had just delivered to his girlfriend, hanging heavy around his neck for days now as he debated when to tell her.

_"Cuddy, I'm not taking money from your parents, I've waited eighteen years to get out from under the thumb of my father and I'm not going back to …."_

_"But my parents aren't…"_

_"Like my Father? I know, but I need to do this on my own. I know it sucks and I know it's not what we planned, but …"_

_"Are you breaking up with me?" Cuddy asked, suddenly faced with the thought of losing him._

_"No." He told her immediately._

_"Then how are we going to make this work?" She asked him, her tone suddenly filled with sadness._

_"I don't know, but as long as you're willing to try, I am too." He answered._

_#####################################################################################_

On the day that Lisa Cuddy graduated from high school, the sun was shining brightly inside a clear blue sky, the breeze as warm and inviting as the stage where the students would walk up to get their diplomas, the rows of metal chairs for the students and those in attendance, now taking up the better part of the landscape behind the Catholic school.

Wearing her cap and gown, Cuddy was standing in the center of the stage and at the podium, having just concluded her commencement speech to her fellow students, the standing ovation and round of applause she was currently receiving from her classmates, as well as the cheers of appreciation from their families and friends, giving her a sense of pride for a job well done as she smiled back at the crowd.

It was after she had left the stage and headed back to her seat when Cuddy first spotted House, standing beside the old oak tree were they had often eaten lunch together, his tall frame leaned up against the trunk of the tree as he smiled over at her, the full beard he had worn during winter and into early spring now gone and replaced by a five o'clock shadow.

She felt her heart leap with joy inside of her chest as her eyes stayed locked onto his, feeling overjoyed that he was able to make it here as the burdens of his college courses along with the new job he was slated to start any day now may have prevented him from making the four hour trip.

When the graduation ceremony finally ended, Cuddy made her way straight over to that tree and to the man who was waiting for her there.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" She said walking up to him with a smile.

House didn't respond, gathering her up into his arms instead before he kissed her softly, tenderly, the treasure of holding her close once more, something he wanted to savor.

"You were amazing up there." He whispered down to her when their lips finally parted.

"You're just saying that because we haven't had sex in two months and you want to get some." She teased back up at him with a grin.

He moved his hand to her face, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone. "So how does it feel to be on your way to your future?" He asked, a small smile moving over his lips.

"Actually, pretty fucking fantastic." Cuddy responded with a broad smile, just as her parents and Julia walked up to them.

###############################################################

Later that day, Joe and Arlene Cuddy hosted a graduation party for Lisa at their home, complete with a backyard bar-b-que to celebrate their daughter's achievement.

Standing in the backyard, but off to the corner and away from the crowds that ebbed and flowed from inside of the home, House stood by himself, underneath the shade of a maple tree and away from anyone who thought he might like to join them in conversation, the glass of lemonade in his hand, offered to him by Cuddy, who had spiked it with vodka for him before she had been swept away from him by her mother in order to greet some of their relatives who had just arrived.

As House scanned the crowd before him, he took a sip of his drink and sucked an ice cube into his mouth, chewing on it as his mind fought off the boredom he was feeling by guessing which of the people surrounding him were actually related to Cuddy, basing his conclusions on their physical features and mannerisms, his foot subconsciously tapping in time to the rhythm to the song playing on the radio inside the backyard.

As he was lost in thought, a rouge water balloon made contact with the center of his chest, immediately soaking his t-shirt.

He glared in the direction of the culprit, spotting Julia Cuddy, along with three of her young, male cousins laughing uncontrollably at him.

"_You're dead meat, kid_." House growled over to the girl before starting off in her direction.

"You okay, House?" Joe Cuddy asked from across the yard and as he stood in front the grill, just as Julia took off towards the front yard.

House nodded, giving the Cuddy's Dad a fake grin while already potting his revenge on the little twerp.

"I'll make sure Julia comes back and apologizes to you." Joe added, handing the tongs he was holding over to one of his buddies standing beside him at the grill.

"That's not necessary. "House replied.

Joe gave him a smile. "Just remember…. no bruises or broken bones when you get her back." he said.

House nodded in agreement, while Joe took the tongs back from his friend and turned he focus back to cooking the burgers.

"Uh oh! Looks like someone had an accident?" A very pregnant, but still very annoying cheerleader said to him a second later.

"_My GOD Becca you're huge!_" House said to the girl in an effort to scare her away from him.

Becca smiled down at her round belly, rubbing her right hand across it affectionately. "The doctor said I was carrying a very healthy baby." She replied, oblivious to the insult he had hurled her way as Jason walked up to them both.

"House, nice shirt." The quarterback said with a smirk while handing a glass of lemonade over to his girlfriend.

"How's it going _Daaaad?_" House replied back to him with a smirk.

Jason gave him a dirty look as Becca continued to smile over at him like a fool.

"Oh House, you know everyone thinks you're _so mean_, but they don't get to see how sweet you can be….that is when you want to be." The cheerleader remarked just as he took a sip of his spiked beverage.

_Oh…. how he wished his drink was laced with something much stronger than vodka…..like maybe LSD, or some other mind altering drug that would save him from this teenage nightmare._

"So where's Lisa at?" Jason asked after he had looked around the backyard.

"Off with her Mom somewhere." House replied dryly.

Jason smiled over at him. "You know, it's pretty awesome that me and Lisa are both going to Michigan, don't you think?"

House clenched his jaw, holding back his true thoughts on the matter as well as the urge to hand his lemonade over to Becca so he could punch her boyfriend in the face.

"Yeah, it's just grand." He answered, still angry about the full ride football scholarship the quarterback had been awarded, that would kept him in such close proximity to Cuddy.

Becca linked arms with Jason, a stupid smile still residing upon her face. "I'm just so glad Jason has Lisa to look out for him while I'm back home with our baby." She said cheerfully.

"Well, let's just hope Jason doesn't forget how to kiss you while he and Lisa are away at college." House replied back to her, wanting more than anything to tell the dumb blonde about her boyfriend's past lip locks with _his girlfriend_, even if it would mean catching hell from Cuddy later.

"Wait. What does that mean?" Becca started to question as House walked away from them both.

###############################################################

"What happened?" Cuddy asked, looking down at House's shirt after they had nearly collided inside the door frame in the kitchen leading out to the yard.

"Your stupid little sister nailed me with a water balloon." House replied, setting his lemonade down on the counter beside them.

"I'll get you one of my Dad's shirts to wear." Cuddy offered, taking him by the hand and pulling him inside.

"No thanks, I'll just go back to my hotel and change."

"Don't be silly." Cuddy replied with a shake of her head, dragging him into the living room.

"Mom, I'm going upstairs with House to get him one of Dad's shirts." She yelled across the room and above the noise of the several conversations occurring inside the space.

Arlene looked over at the pair, smiling over at House and his wet t-shirt as he gave her a scowl in return.

"Okay." Cuddy's mom answered before joining back in on the conversation she was having with her two sisters.

"I told you I don't want one of your Dad's stupid shirts." House muttered as she continued to lead him upstairs and towards her parents' bedroom.

Cuddy ignored his protest and yanked him inside of the room before closing and locking the door behind them.

"That's fine House, _but I want you_ …." She then informed him with a sexy smile, "and since this is the only place where we can be alone together without any interruptions, stop arguing with me and take off your shirt so you can give me a proper graduation fuck." She ordered over to him, loving the wide eyed, open-mouthed expression which suddenly washed over his face.

"Here, inside your parents' bedroom?" He asked, pointing to the carpet below them.

Cuddy nodded.

"Here." She confirmed, "but let's do it in the bathroom because having sex in my parents bed is kinda gross."

###############################################################

They only had a few minutes at best before someone would notice they were taking a little too long upstairs, and knowing this made their forbidden tryst all the more exciting for them both as House lifted Cuddy up and placed her onto the countertop between the double sinks inside the bathroom, her panties stuffed in the front pocket of his jeans, her pretty blue dress she had worn under her graduation gown, now hiked up to her hips, his pants unzipped and sagging a bit on his own hips, her legs open wide as he stood before her, sheathed in a condom and pounding away inside of her with the speed of a racehorse.

"Fuck!" He cried out, looking down at her as she leaned back a bit on the counter, her hands clamped onto his biceps, tilting her hips up a bit and granting him further access to the heat inside of her.

"Shhh!" Cuddy warned, placing one hand over his mouth as he cried out again just before she bit down on her bottom lip, stifling the moan rising up inside of her throat as he proceeded to hit one particular spot again and again, the force of his thrusts, the grip of his hands on her hips as he held in place, throwing her head-first towards ecstasy.

What happened next was an explosion of stars and electricity, the two of them climaxing at the same time, their bodies shaking with sexual release as Cuddy's mouth opened and she gasped for air, the two of them holding onto each other for fear of collapsing onto the floor as House continued to pump inside of her for a few more seconds.

Cuddy's heart was still beating fast inside of her chest and threatening to break free when they came back downstairs together, the space between her thighs, still aching, still pulsing with desire as she gave a quick wave to her mother before she took House by the hand and led him back outside.

House stopped her on the back porch, pulling her into the corner and to where a tall holly bush shielded them from everyone else, kissing her like they had merely started the physical connection between them instead of having already crossed the finish line.

Cuddy felt her knees get weak, the ache between her thighs growing as his hand slid under the hem of her dress, cupping the left cheek of her ass.

"_House, we need to stop_." She whispered up to him, even though her body was screaming for him to continue.

House looked down at her, his gaze searching her face and finding her eyes, as well as the way she was pressing her body against him just now, telling him a different story.

"Do you really want to stop? Or, do you want to go back to my hotel instead?" House asked her in a low whisper, still hungery for her and wanting all of her again even though he was still recovering from fucking her senseless inside of her parents bathroom.

##############################################################

They almost didn't make it inside the door of his hotel room., the two of them, kissing and groping each other as they rode the elevator together, coming dangerously close to doing it again right then and there before the bell announced that they had made it to his floor, granting Cuddy just enough time to pull her panties back up from her knees before House took her by the hand and led her to room 417.

From there, House pulled Cuddy inside the room and she shoved him against the wall once he engaged the dead bolt inside, her head spinning, her body filled with desire for him and demanding that feeling only _he _could give to her.

And then they were on his bed, naked and wild, with House inside of Cuddy again, the entire length of him buried deep between her thighs as she rode him with complete disregard to how loud she was being as she rocked her hips and moaned on top of him, her body taking him in again and again, her torso thrusting back down repeatedly, her hips flexing as she filled herself up with him as his hands palmed and cupped her breasts, his fingers tweaking her nipples, his eyes watching her head roll back when his thumb found her clit just as she took him in deep and fast once more.

"House!" She cried out with the kind of passion that sent a shot of adrenaline throughout his entire body.

House pulled her down so they were now chest to chest and rolled her over onto her back, pinning her beneath him, his hands clamping down on her wrists, giving her everything he had as he locked eyes with her and while her body trembled in response to him, her hot breath, filling his lungs as he breathed her in, her legs held high in the air, her entire body open to him, his hips thrusting and thrusting into her causing the bed moaning softly in protest to the labored, forceful actions until he saw stars for the second time today and collapsed on top or her.

It was that desperate need again, the unquenchable thirst between them now that they were together like this again and without the barriers or their obligations between them, the mixture of love, lust and the absolute dread for the future, pushing them both past the breaking point and towards something raw and untamed.

He looked down at her after his head had cleared and when his mind was able to take over.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked, realizing how he had complete lost himself inside of her, the primal part of him pushed forward with the force of a tidal wave.

"Are you kidding? That was great!." She whispered up him with a smile, her faced flushed, her chest still heaving underneath him as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He kissed her, slowly, deeply, his hands moving over the curves of her body, his heart racing as he hips bucked up into his in response, her body still wanting him, even after he had left them both spent, her left hand now caressing his jaw while the other moved lovingly up and down his back.

And for now, he would stay this way with her, and ignore the fact he would be leaving in two days, opening up his eyes to her instead and finding the love she had for him held within the warmth of her smile and the sparkle in her gray eyes, hoping that no matter what happened to them in the future he would never see it fade from view as it would mean a part of him would die with it, and that would utterly destroy him.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

_One year later..._

On a Friday evening, Cuddy was standing in the hallway across from where her dorm room was located, the receiver of the community phone hanging on the wall, cradled in her hand as she talked to House.

"I'm sorry." She said just as some of her fellow students passed by her.

"You've been busy." He replied back to her.

"I know, but I promised I'd call you last week and …..."

"_Cuddy, I said it's fine, now drop it."_

There was an edge to his tone, and rather than ignore it, she addressed it right away.

"Is this too hard?" She asked him honestly.

"If you're talking about my penis, definitely not, considering you're twelve hours away from me."

"You know that's not what I meant." Cuddy said in response to his joke.

"Are you interested in seeing someone else?" House asked from out of the blue.

"Are you serious?" She questioned.

"Considering _you_ just asked me if I wanted to end things, I'd say yes." He replied.

"The answer is_ no_, I'm not interested in anyone else. And the reason I asked you _that question _in the first place was because keeping in contact with each other has been harder than I thought it would be, especially considering all of the new commitments we have in our lives now that we're both in college." Cuddy explained in her defense.

"Last time I checked, I wasn't the one missing phone calls and asking for rain checks." House reminded her.

Cuddy looked up at the ceiling, finding herself at a place in her relationship with House she never dreamed she would be, especially considering he knew better than anyone else in her life ever had before, but here she was none the less, getting ready to explain herself to him.

"House, I don't want to fight with you, but now that I'm in college, I'm not going to settle for just being average, I want to be the_ best _at everything I do, and that takes commitment, as well as my involvement in other activities besides just attending class and taking tests. I thought you understood that, or could at least relate to it on some level considering how much you love your physics classes." She told him.

"I do." He said with a sigh.

"I just miss you." He added.

"I know, and I miss you too." Cuddy responded, wishing she could be with him right now, looking up into his handsome face and feeling the weight of his hands on her hips as he gave her the kind of smile that would have her heart racing with anticipation.

House closed his eyes, picturing her standing before him.

"Well, at least we have the entire summer to make up for lost time." He responded.

Cuddy bit down on her bottom lip, "Listen House, there's something I need to tell you." She told him.

He already knew it was bad news by the way the tone of her voice had changed.

"Go ahead." He said anyway.

"I can't see you this summer like we had planned because I'm going to be staying up here in Michigan." She informed him, hoping he wouldn't be too disappointed.

There was silent on the other end of the line, one that lasted longer than it should have.

"Do you even want to know the reason why I'm staying here?" Cuddy asked him.

"The only thing I needed to know is was what you just told me a few minutes ago, which is that our relationship is not as important to you as it is to me." He replied back to her coldly.

She was stunned for moment. "That's not far." She argued back at him.

"It may not be fair, but it's the truth." He replied.

Cuddy found herself at a loss for words, the only thing able to pass through her lips, the reason why she was unable to be with him during the summer, as for her it _was _something important and worth sacrificing a few months of her personal life.

"Well, even though you don't seem to care, the reason why I'm staying here is because I've been offered an internship at the University of Michigan Hospital over the summer, which involves observing physicians practicing in their outpatient clinics and documenting the physician-patient relationship from a third party perspective. I know it's not the same as being a medical student, but I'm the only freshman whose ever been asked to take part in the experience." She informed him.

"So are we done now?" House questioned, completely ignoring what she had just said to him.

"Yeah, were done." Cuddy replied before hanging up the phone

###################################################

They didn't talk for the next four week after that, the silence between them, eating away at her heart as each day passed by her, but regardless of how much she was hurting over the words they had spoken to each other on the phone, Cuddy stood by her decision none the less, knowing she could not, no…._correction,_ would not give up her dreams and aspirations just to make things easier between her and House.

Later that week and on a Saturday night, Cuddy looked out of the window by her bed, her eyes studying the sleet colliding violently with glass before it ran down the clear surface in long streaks, her mind wondering if House was thinking about her tonight as well, while also wondering if maybe what had been said between them a few weeks ago and the silence that had followed was indeed the end of their relationship, as the demise of most romantic pairings seldom come wrapped up with a pretty red bow.

"Lisa, are you sure you don't want to go?" Her roommate, Susan White asked her from across the room as she slipped on her winter coat.

"I'm sure." Cuddy replied with a nod.

"You know Jason is going to be there and everyone knows he's got thing for you." Susan reminded her.

"Jason also has a wife and a baby at home in New Jersey." Cuddy equally reminded the girl.

Susan let out a soft chuckle, flipping back her long blonde hair from where it had rested on her right shoulder.

"Oh come on Lisa, do your really think someone like Jason is going to stay faithful to some dumb bimbo who trapped him by getting pregnant during their senior year of high school? It's only matter of time before he comes to his senses and ends that shame of a marriage, especially considering all the girls here would do anything to be with him."

"Thanks for the pep talk, but I'm fine here." Cuddy told Susan, refusing to let her shallow and vindictive roommate get the best of her.

"Okay, suite yourself, but remember that boyfriend of yours up in Boston probably isn't sitting all alone on a Saturday night either, no matter how much you think you've got him wrapped around your finger." Susan said before leaving, knowing enough about Cuddy's personal life to make her roommate's life miserable on a daily basis for no other reason than he fact that she was jealous at how quickly Cuddy had become both well-known and respected on campus by her peers as well as her professors.

Cuddy glared at the door after her roommate had left.

"Bitch." She uttered under her breath, just as there was a loud knock from the door that caused her to jump.

"_Liiiiiisa!_ Lisa I know you're in there, so let me in!"

Cuddy let out a sigh, knowing exactly who was at her door, but getting up to open it anyway.

"Jason, what are you doing here?" She asked, looking up at the quarterback who was obviously drunk even though the party at his Fraternity was not set start until half hour from now.

"Wow, you look great!" Jason responded, gathering her up in his arms and giving her a hug.

"And you're drunk…again." Cuddy replied as she pulled him inside the room, before closing the door behind him.

She maneuvered him over to her bed before letting go of him and watching his upper body slump down onto the mattress, his feet still resting on the floor.

"Do you think I'm a bad person?" Jason asked her as she stood before him, his words slurred as his eyes tried to stay focused on her as the room began to spin.

"I don't think you're a bad person." Cuddy told him; bending down to lift his head and rest it on top of her pillow.

He reached out and held onto her arm, pulling her closer to him.

"The girls here, well…..they all want to sleep with me. And honestly getting boobs shoved in your face twenty four seven is kind of a hard thing to ignore after a while." He told her in a rambled jumble of sentences.

Cuddy removed his hand from her arm. "Get some sleep." She told him, before turning away from him focusing her attention on his feet that were still resting on the floor, lifting them up onto the mattress a moment later, deciding at this point it was better to leave his sneakers on then to try and untie them.

"You're a really good friend." Jason told her as she retrieved the blanket off of Susan's bed and covered him up with it.

"I know." Cuddy replied, wondering how on earth she had suddenly taken on the role of mother for Jason, after the confident quarterback suddenly had found himself completely lost and unsure of himself now that he was part of such a large group of students on campus.

"I love you." Jason whispered up her as his eyes closed.

Cuddy remained silent as she stared down at him. It wasn't the first time he had said those words to her, although during the other two pervious times, Jason had been drunk as well.

_Words spoken under the influence of alcohol speak the truth inside the soul. _

Her Aunt Sarah had told her that once when she had been thirteen and had helped her Aunt to the bathroom after her mother's sister had consumed one too many drinks during one of her parents New Year's parties.

_Needing someone and loving someone are two different things_, Cuddy thought to herself as she turned away from the guy sleeping in her bed, intent on leaving her room and getting some coffee from the vending machine down the hall in an effort to keep herself alert and awake in case Jason decided to puke in his sleep while he was passed out.

After gathering up some change from on top of her dresser, Cuddy opened the door, jumping again for the second time that night when she found House standing before her.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

"House, what are you doing here?" Cuddy asked, still in shock at seeing him standing outside of her dorm room.

"I want to make this work." He replied simply, his eyes searching her face and hoping that she hadn't given up on them, or rather _him_ after the way he had talked to her on the phone last month.

"I want that too." She told him with a soft smile.

He gave her a small smile in return.

"Good, because I really didn't want to drive -" House started to say, when the smile on his face suddenly disappeared as his eyes traveled away from her face and past her shoulder.

"Who's that?" He asked, his voice taking on a far more serious tone after spotting the figure of a man lying in Cuddy's bed and inside the dimly lit dorm room.

Cuddy felt her stomach sinking; she hadn't done anything even remotely wrong, however..…

"It's Jason, he -"

House turned away from her before she had even finished her sentence, his long legs making it hard for her to catch up with him as she chased him down the hall.

"House, stop!" She told him when she finally was able to grab hold of his arm.

He turned around wildly and faced her, the distance between them cut down to a few inches as he towered above her.

"What for? Looks like you've already got someone in your bed, unless of course you wanted to for broke and fuck both of us tonight?"

Cuddy felt like she had just been slammed into by a semi, her body trembling from the impact of his words.

"_Fuck you."_ She replied to him without hesitation, her eyes staring back at him with a mixture of anger and disbelief before she turned and walked away from him.

_She would NOT cry in front of him, no fucking way she would let him have the satisfaction of seeing how much he had hurt her just now with his demeaning choice of words._

"Shit." House cursed under his breath, knowing the instant had seen her reaction to his accusation whatever the hell Jason was doing in her bed hadn't warranted how degrading his comments had been to her just now.

"Cuddy, wait!

He was now chasing after her, down the opposite end of the hallway as she quickly headed back to her dorm room.

"Cuddy, I'm sorry-"

He took hold of her arm just before she reached the door and felt his own arm nearly being yanked out of the socket as she fiercely pulled her limb free from his grasp.

"No you wait, you son of bitch!" Cuddy told him as she spun around to face him, her index finger now pointed squarely into the center of his chest as she backed him into the wall behind them, her eyes, free of tears and wild with aggression as she prepared to defend her honor.

"You come here, telling me how you want to make things work between us one minute and then accuse me of screwing Jason before you even give me a chance to explain things?" She shouted at him.

It was only then that Cuddy had noticed the small crowd of students forming around them, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"What?!" Cuddy asked the group, her chest heaving, her mind sharpened and ready to cut down any one of them if they dared to speak to her in returned, her eyes zoning in on the one person who did speak as the other people around them watched in awe.

"I'll admit it, I acted like a jerk to just now, but _you_ have to admit you would have done the same thing if you had come to see me and found me with another girl in my bed." House challenged over to her, ready to block any attempts by her to slap him across the face as he knew the surprising strength she harnessed within her petite, five-foot, four inch frame.

Cuddy narrowed her eyes at him, her jaw clenched.

_She wanted to kill him, but there was also a part of her that could not entirely deny his rationalization either after she had run it through her head."_

In her brief seconds of silent, House took the opportunity to challenge her even further.

"Go ahead Cuddy, deny it. Tell me you wouldn't have called me every name in the book if you would have found another girl sleeping in my bed and I'll kneel down before you, _and_ all of these idiots who apparently have no social life and kiss your feet." He said to her, keeping his eyes locked onto hers, their audience, hanging on their every word they were saying to each other.

Cuddy reached for his arm, holding back a grin when she saw him flinch...ever so slightly. "Come on." She said, before pulling him down to the end of the hallway, rolling her eyes a second later as she heard a few groans of disappointment from the group of her fellow students they had left behind.

"You were amazing just now by the way- "House started to say to her with a grin as she led him towards the last door located on the floor.

"Shut up." She told him, reaching for the doorknob to their left with her free hand and pulling him inside as second later.

Cuddy breathed a sigh of relief when she found the student community room empty and quickly closed the door behind them.

"You had no right to say what you just did about me, no matter how angry you were." She told him, getting up in his face again, her slender hands now bawled into fists.

"I'm sorry for saying what I did, but I'm not sorry for thinking the worst when I saw Jason in your bed." House replied.

"Why is it so hard for you to trust me?" She asked him while throwing her hands up in the air.

"I do trust you." House said, "I just don't trust Jason." He tried to explain.

"This has nothing to do with Jason, you either trust me or you don't, it's that simple." Cuddy argued back at him.

"That's easy for you to say because you've never felt what's it's like to have someone you trust hurt you, or screw you over." House said in his defense as his deepest fear came rising up from inside of him.

Cuddy rested her hand on his chest. looking up at him and wondering if he really understood what had just happened between them.

"House, I've trusted you more than any other person in my life, and just a few minutes ago, you hurt me more than anyone else in my life ever has, so, according to your logic, I should just give up on you before you can hurt me again…right?" She countered.

He held their gaze for a few seconds, his blue eyes tracing over every feature on her face.

_He had been selfish, and angry, and yes ...deeply hurt at the thought of her being with someone else, and as all of those thoughts seeped into his brain, he moved past her, leaving her behind._

Cuddy closed her eyes as she stood alone in the room with the open door now between them and her heart preparing her for the worst .

And then, House spoke once more, his words moving up from behind her as he stood inside the hallway.

"Lisa Cuddy is the smartest person I know, and I'm a fucking idiotic. Also, the only penis inside of her vagina for the past two and a half years has been mine." He shouted down to the group of students who had been watching them earlier and who were still standing there, quietly whispering to each other.

"Are you insane?" Cuddy asked him as she walked out into the hallway with him.

He pulled her close. "It's all you fault if I am." He told her with a grin, a sudden high, rushing through his veins as the girl in his arms looked up at him with a cute, but somewhat irritated expression.

"Actually, the people standing down there are going to think_ I'm crazy_ for being with someone like you. Good thing I don't give a fuck what they think." She whispered up to him before she leaned in and kissed him, feeling his strong arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her close to him as the rest of the world faded into the background.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

As time marched on, Cuddy and House had managed to keep their long distance relationship going in spite of the odds being stacked against them. Of course it wasn't easy by any means, and they still had arguments from time to time, but at the end of Cuddy's second year of college and House's third, they were still very much together and still very much in love.

It was also during this time when House decided to switch gears on his academic goals, opting to study medicine and earn his MD instead of obtaining the degree in physics he had previously chosen.

_"Really?" Cuddy had asked him when he told her the news over their winter break last year._

_"Really." House confirmed._

_"But why? I mean, don't take this the wrong way or anything, but interacting with other people really isn't your strong suit." She pointed out to him._

_He gave her a smirk. "True." He agreed, pulling her closer to him as they sat on the sectional sofa inside of her parent's basement._

_""But I do like solving puzzles, and human beings are the most interesting puzzles I've ever come across so far."_

Cuddy smile back at him after he had explained things to her, the part of her brain she had allowed to have the thin wire connected to heart, whispering to her of how amazing it would be if they both ended up working at the same hospital years from now, after all of their studying was done and they were ready to embark on their careers.

###############################################################

It was during the start of House's four year of college when he found himself draw more and more towards the mysteries of the human body, spending every spare minute he could reading and researching some of the rarest infectious diseases in the world as they intrigued him most of all, which of course had resulted in him and spending more and more time by himself.

It was during one of those nights, when House was alone and sitting on the couch inside of his one bedroom apartment, rubbing his forehead after spending several hours reading his latest medical journal that he came to the realization he was finding himself in the same exact place that Cuddy had struggled with for years.

He felt bound…trapped in a time and place in his life he would much rather fast forward, his mind, held against its will and with a burning desire that was all consuming. He wanted to be in Med School _now_, and not another year from now, his frustration of having to wait, leaving him with little to no tolerance for his other classes that failed to challenge him in the way his pre-med classes did, that relentless thirst for more, eventually leading him to Michigan just as spring had come into bloom.

###############################################################

There was still a slight chill in the air left over from winter when House tracked down Cuddy on campus, finding her huddled around a massive oak tree with some of her fellow students, the light in her eyes mixed with the expression on her face as she spoke passionately about whatever subject she was debating with the male student standing before her, having the same effect on him just like it had for years now. He was the moth to her flame, entranced by her charms that flicker and danced around her whenever she allowed the world to see how spectacular she truly was.

He had decided to change his route to her as he drew closer, walking up behind her with her back facing him and the thrill of surprising her like this, making him feel like a kid again.

Just as he reached her, the crowd erupted with laughter, the expression of anger on the male student's face who had been debating with Cuddy, telling him that his brilliant girlfriend had just verbally cut the guy off at the knees.

"So when do I get a turn?" House whispered down into her left ear, his body only a breath away from making contact with hers.

Cuddy spun around immediately, her eyes wide, her face filled with shock.

"House, what are you-"

He didn't' let her get the rest of the words out, pulling her close to him and kissing her deliberately instead…..in front of all of her friends, and most _importantly_, the guy who was arguing with Cuddy just a minute ago.

He was pleased to see her breathless and still a bit off balance as their lips parted and he stared down at her.

"Ummm, I'll see you guy's later, okay?" Cuddy said, taking her eyes off of House for a moment so she could address the group before her.

Several of her female students smiled back at her and nodded before walking away, obviously amused to see the confident young woman before them suddenly swept up emotionally in such a state that left her tongue tied and a bit shaky on her feet while the male students looked over at House with what could only be described as a sort of macho appreciation for landing such a prized female, that was with except of the guy who had been arguing with Cuddy, who gave House an unimpressed glare instead….one that told House the guy did have ideas on making the moves on his girlfriend before he had appeared on the scene.

As her fellow students left, Cuddy focused in on House again.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, still wrapped up in his arms.

"I missed you." He said to her sweetly.

He waited for her smile, disappointed when she offered him a frown instead.

"Something's wrong." She stated, an expression of worry overtaking her face as she took a step back from him.

"Cuddy, nothing's wrong." House tired reassuring her, before doing a total about-face when he saw she wasn't buying it.

"Okay, there's been a slight snag in my academic career, but I have it all figured out." He tried assuring her once more.

"What do you mean a _snag_?" She asked, feeling more dread building inside of her as the seconds passed between them.

"I was kicked out of school."

Her jaw dropped.

"For what?" She asked.

"I cheated on a test."

"You cheated on a test?"

"That's what I said."

"But you don't need to cheat." Cuddy exclaimed, feeling even more off balance as their conversation continued.

"It was a stupid class on teamwork and leadership." House explained, knowing she'd understand what a waste of time that would be for him.

"Why on earth would you even take a class like that in the first place?" She asked him, dumbfounded.

"So I could cut class and do more important things, like call my girlfriend and learn the most recent Eddie Van Halen guitar rift." House replied back to her.

"Oh, so now _I'm_ to blame for your screwing up your life?" Cuddy shot back at him, her concern quickly overtaken by the anger she was feeling.

"That's not what I said." House replied, changing his tone to a more serious one as he took a step closer to her.

"Listen, I know I shouldn't have taken that class, but I had to pass that bullshit exam anyway. So I convinced a guy in my class to let me copy the answers from him in exchange for a bribe of fifty bucks, turns out that guy hated my guts and ratted me out to the professor as soon as the exam was over."

Cuddy shook her head, trying to organize the countless thoughts now bouncing around inside of her brain.

"Isn't there anyway they'd let you back in? I mean even though that was stupid move on your part, surely your other professors could speak to the Dean about how dedicated you are in their classes?"

He made a face at her, one that spoke of even more bad news.

"What?" She asked cautiously.

House scratched his left temple. "I actually thought about going that same route myself, unfortunately I didn't think about it until _after_ I ended up telling the professor of the teambuilding and leadership class to go fuck himself."

###############################################################

"Come on Cuddy, it's not like anyone died." House muttered over to his girlfriend as he watched her suing the key to open the door to her place.

"You're right, House, it's just your future that was slaughtered up in Boston." She shot back at him before stepping inside the one bedroom, off campus apartment.

House followed her inside, closing the door behind them.

"I told you I'd figure it out, Cuddy." He reminded her as she tossed her keys on the end table in the living room and headed straight for the kitchen.

"Well just remember not to tell anyone to fuck themselves when you do!" She yelled out to him as he stood in the living room by himself.

He made a face at her, of course while she couldn't see him.

When she returned with a beer bottle in her hand he grinned widely. "So I've finally drove you drink." He exclaimed proudly.

"This isn't a joking matter." She told him, handing the beer to him.

"Where's yours?" He asked, nodding over to her.

"I need to go class. Stay here. Drink that. And start to figure out how you're going to fix this mess." She instructed to him before grabbing her keys and heading out the door again.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

During her next class, Lisa Cuddy's mind quickly wandered from the subject matter the professor was currently teaching to House and the mess he had made regarding his future.

_How could he have been damn so stupid? _ She thought.

But of course she already knew the answer to that question.

House wasn't stupid; he was brilliant, and the intellect he possessed caused him to effortlessly float to the top of his class when it came to his academic studies, at least those that held his interest.

But with his brilliance also came recklessness.

House didn't' care about what other people thought about him, and that was perfectly fine in most instances, but not when the person you've just told to fuck-off can turn you future upside down with just a snap of their fingers.

When class was over, Cuddy took her time heading back to her apartment as her brain started running over the best and worst case seniors that could result from House's carelessness.

It was during the last ten minutes of her journey when she was suddenly surprised by a rouge wave of fear that came rising up behind her, stealing the breath from inside of her lungs.

_It's only a matter of time before he does something to damage the both of us._

She stood still, frozen inside the thought that had pushed forth from her head, taking in a deep breath of air surrounding her to recover from the blow before she moved again, past her fears and past the gloomy predict suddenly cast upon her.

_It was silly to think of things in such a dire manner_, she assured herself as she started up the stairs of her building.

_This was just a minor setback, for House and for them and they would get through this just fine, _Cuddy thought as her conviction gained the upper hand once more.

##########################################################

When she found the door to her apartment locked, Cuddy felt that fear rising inside of her once more, but again she pushed it aside as she reached for her key inside of her jacket.

The air was still when Cuddy closed the door behind her, a single light left on inside of the kitchen.

She called for House, but received no answer, the only evidence that she had left him here earlier that day, an empty beer bottle with a note resting underneath it, which read.

_Be back later._

_House._

##########################################################

It was just after the sun had settled deep into the horizon when House and Cuddy were together once more inside of her apartment.

"What?" Cuddy said, not believing what House had just said to her as his words where still tiring to connect with the pulses of her brain.

House gave her a wide grin, but that didn't help to calm her anxiety.

"I know it's crazy. Even I didn't believe it could work, but it's true, I'm starting my next semester here…with you, in Michigan." He announced to her for the second time before he pulled her into his arms and held her close.

"So you just barged into the Dean's office?" She asked, with the side of her face pressed against his beating heart.

"Yeah. "House replied happily while keeping her in his embrace.

"And even though Dean Williams reached for the phone to call security the moment I stepped into his office with his secretary chasing after me, my quick thinking and impeccable gift to mix just enough bullshit with the truth has now allowed me become a full-fledged student of Michigan University." He went on to boast to his girlfriend.

As Cuddy eased out of his embrace, House kept on talking, repeating the same story she heard a few minutes ago about his conversation with the Dean, his chest puffed up with pride at how _he, _Gregory House and the same guy who had told a professor up in Boston to fuck off, had been the able to convince the Dean of university at Michigan to give him a chance to finish he studies here without so much as breaking a sweat.

Cuddy watched House's lips continue to move, her eyes focused on them as the formed the words coming out of his mouth, but what she heard instead of his voice was a soft but urgent sound, an alarm if you will, telling her this was not good news, telling her that such behavior from a person could only spell trouble in the future, that the incredible high House was feeling in this moment had come after a very soul crushing low and that such extremes would end up taking a toll on a person in the long run as the ones who loved them.

"Hey, I thought you'd be a little more excited about this?" House questioned her when her eyes had told him that her mind had traveled past the conversation he was currently having with her.

"I am excited, it's just a lot to take in all at once,that's all. But I'm glad you'll be here with me. It's going to be great." Cuddy reassured him with a smile while ignoring the growing sirens going off inside her head as House pulled her into his embrace once more before he kissed her.


	32. Chapter 32

**C****hapter 32**

It was two months late and in spite of Cuddy's initial fears about House joining her on campus, she had found much to her surprise that living together with House inside of her off campus apartment and experiencing college life with him had been more exciting and magical than she could have ever dreamed it could be.

He made life so much more interesting, and yes, at times more frustration as well, but living with House succeeded in fulfilled every need she had, from the intellectual connection they shared to the fulfillment of her sexual desire for him, now that the geographic distance between them had been erased,

Currently, as Cuddy sat in her morning class with her notebook open and pen at the ready, her mind suddenly drifted back to the time she had spent with House in her bed this morning, the memory of his lips brushing against her own, the feel of his tongue exploring her body so exquisitely and finding just the right spot that would make her moan out in pleasure,, his power of his touch radiating over every inch of her skin, the ache created by his fingers moving inside of her as her back arch up from the mattress, and once he was inside of her...

Cuddy let out a soft gasp, that luckily no one around her could hear, as her face became immediately flushed with a mixture of arousal and embarrassment while her professor droned on in front of the calls about the lesson of the day.

She was in trouble, the kind of trouble you never want to be rescued from as every part of her was now the wiling captive of a young man name Gregory House, who she would follow down into hell itself if he asked her to.

##################################################

Later that day after her classes had ended, Cuddy was curled up on the couch with her legs tucked beneath her and reviewing the latest chapter in her Biology book.

House had gotten done with her classes earlier than her, but had left her note that he was stopped by his lab parents place and would be back in a little bit.

When she finally hear the sound of him unlocking the door to their place, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, while her mind wondered exactly how long she should wait before tearing his clothes off and climbing on top of him as her body had ached for his touch the entire day after leaving him here this morning.

However, when House stood before her a moment later with his hands shoved into his pockets and a rather serious look on his face, she realized the sexual fantasy she was playing out in her head would have to wait...at least for a little bit anyway.

"What's wrong?" She asked, looking up at him.

"It's Friday night and you're studying." He replied to her with the frown remaining on his face.

Cuddy gave him another smile. "Just until you got home." she assured him as she placed the book beside her on the couch.

He face remained sullen, and it made her sit up a little straighter on the couch.

"Okay, what's wrong?" She asked for the second time.

"Nothing, it's just that it's Friday night and I want..."

"To do something totally insane that could get us both into trouble?" She asked, finishing his thoughts.

He gave her a small smile. "I promise it's not _that_ insane and I highly doubt we'll get into trouble , but -"

"Oh for the love of god, just tell me." She said, with a roll of her eyes.

He studied her briefly, weighing his last chance to back out of what he was ready to propose to her before reaching into the right pocket of his coat and pulling out a small, clear, plastic bag containing the white powder he had purchased earlier.

"Is that what I think it is?" Cuddy asked him, immediately getting to her feet as she reached for what he held in his hand.

He gave it to her without hesitation, studying her closely.

"Well if it isn't, I just gave fifty bucks to some guy on campus who's selling powdered sugar." He told her jokingly while, his eyes stayed fixated upon her.

She looked up at him in shock. "You want to try cocaine?" She asked, still in shock.

_Sure they had both consumed alcohol and smoked pot at times, but they had never done anything else beyond that._

"Why?" She added before he could answer her first question.

"Because I'm curious, and because we can, and because I really can't think of a good enough reason not to." He told her, his face continuing to remain serious in nature.

"Are you ….are you bored with us? Is this a replacement for something you feel is missing?" Cuddy asked, suddenly faced with the startling reality that maybe what she had considered to be the best time of her life wasn't the same for him.

"Cuddy, there's no way in hell I could ever be bored with you." He assured her as he pulled her close to him.

"But?" She questioned, knowing he had more to say.

"Listen Cuddy, you're smart and funny, and with a face and a body that's every guys wet dream," He stared of saying to her.

"_But_ there's also that other side of you that I don't get to see as much anymore. The side of you that can be wild and crazy and not really give a fuck about what anyone thinks, and being in college is _exactly_ the time for us to be a little wild and crazy." He explained to her, hoping his not so subtle nudging would get her on board with him.

"I'm still that girl; it's just that with school and all my other commitments -"

"Which is exactly why, you need to let go and doing something outside of the straight line you've drawn in the sand for yourself every once and awhile." House said, cutting her off.

_Okay, so House was right at her sometimes rigid approach when it came to planning out her future, and there were times on campus when she feel she was stretching herself too thin, but..._

"Come on Cuddy, it's not like I'm asking you to rob a bank with me. I'm just curious. and I want to try this, and if _I am_ going to try this…" He said, before taking the bag from her.

"I want to do it with someone I trust and with someone I know will look out for me." House reasoned further to her.

Cuddy looked down at the bag House was holding and then back up at him, knowing there was no one in the world she trusted more than him.

"Okay." She agreed.

###############################################################

"You okay?" House asked Cuddy as they sat on the couch together a short while later, his mind a delightful mixture of euphoria he had never experienced before.

Cuddy nodded over at him, the drug now coursing through her veins making every thought even more intense, every inch of her skin suddenly alive with electricity while her brain was screaming at her to get up and move, because sitting still on the sofa was literally torture at this point.

"Say something so I know you're _really_ okay." House requested to Cuddy as she started back at him, her eyes wide with wonder and with the smile on her face reminding him of Alice in wonderland after she had fallen down the rabbit hole.

"I'm good." She assured him, reaching up to touch his face, needing to make sure that_he_ was indeed real and that this incredible feeling was indeed real, as well while the world around them faded into black.

##############################################################

Cuddy had climaxed twice already, her cries of pleasure rising up from deep inside of her as her thighs had squeezed tightly against House's cheekbones as he tongued mercilessly at her clit, his deep moan of approval at her actions, taking her to the point of no return, then later she had reached her peak again, with her hands came clamping down on his biceps as he was on top her, his palms planting firmly on opposite sides of her on the mattress, his eyes connected with her as his bucked his hips towards her again and again, getting deeper and deeper with each thrust as she held her legs high in the air, her toes pointed towards the ceiling, and now…..

_Jesus, Cuddy!_ House moaned as straddled him, riding him like he was a thoroughbred, her hips moving effortlessly in a sinfully erotic motion, her eyes locking onto him as he gazed up at her with the same enchanted grin that was most likely reflected on her face as well.

Her fingers moved to his face, tracing his jawline before her mouth came crashing down onto his, her body still yearning for him in spite of the hours of time they had spent in this bed , the space between her thighs now taking him to the places that would left him breathless and in awe of her.

"I Love you." He whispered into her hair when their lips had parted, small breath rushing forcefully out between his parted lips as she flexed her hips once more, his hands moving down to her ass, his fingers gripping tightly onto the soft, round flesh as he helped her strengthen the force of her motions.

"You just like the way I fuck you silly." She whispered down to him with a giggle before she leaned back from him and slowed her pace a bit. She wanted this to last forever, wanted this image of him below her and fully emerged inside of her to be never ending.

His right hand rose up to her the curve of her neck, his thumb caressing her chin as he gasped for air, the things she was doing to him, the things she _would_ do for him without hesitation, he knew he would never love anyone as much as he loved her... as much as he loved what they had become together.

"Always be the Bonnie to my Clyde." He choked out to her in strained voiced, realizing immediately after the words had dropped from his lips how incredibly stupid they must have sounded.

But to her credit, Cuddy smiled down at him anyway in such a way it nearly made him cum right then and there.

"I'll always be your Bonnie." She whispered down to him sweetly before she bit down on her bottom lip and concentrated on driving them both towards the endless ocean of ecstasy they would both soon be drowning in.

###############################################################

They had stayed up until five am the next morning, ordering pizza at around one am and playing Atari for the next few hours in between kissing each other and having sex on the living room floor, the both of them arguing when they picked up the controllers again over who was indeed the master of Pac Man, laughing their asses off as how idiotic they both sounded to be that invest in such a trivial thing.

In the end though, House did end up winning their mini tournament, but he quickly soothed Cuddy's bruised ego by picking her up from the floor and carry her to the nice warm bed that was waiting for them.

Now, as the sun crested over the horizon, House found he still wide awake, his blue eyes followed the rays of pink and orange that presented them to him as Cuddy remained sleeping peacefully in his arms.

He was coming down from the high, his eyes feeling heavy, his body in need of rest, however…. his mind still wanted to hold onto this feeling, just for a little bit longer.

He turned his head to the side, those same blue eyes suddenly looking over at the night stand beside him, his hand pausing for a moment before carefully opening the drawer without making a sound, his fingers searching for something he had placed their earlier while Cuddy was still in class.

Within a few seconds, his index finger registered the feel of small object it had discovered, the vile containing the same white powder that was in the baggy he had shown to Cuddy, now within his grasp.

Once his had located the item, he wrapped the rest of his fingers around it, making a fist to conceal the vile before carefully easing Cuddy out from under his arm and heading for the bathroom.

After closing the door behind him, House looked at himself in the mirror, the fact that he hadn't told Cuddy what they had just experienced a few hours ago hadn't actually been his first time taking coke like he had led her to believe, gnawing at his conscience a bit.

He had told himself it wasn't really betrayal, just lie...and in fact, a little white lie at that.

And really it wasn't something he had intentionally set out to do...deceiving her that is, but what choice did he really have? The guy on campus who has sold the coke to him wanted him to sample the goods before buying, and it wasn't like he took a lot, it was one snort, one small line, just like he had done tonight with Cuddy, just like he was preparing to do right now as the buzz he was feeling continued to fade.

And so with a nod to himself in the mirror and a quick clear of his conscience, he took the small bump the he had placed on the flat surface of his thumb, inhaling the powder through his nose and blinking wildly for a moment as it traveled quickly through his system.

And then he would leave it alone, the coke that is, he would simply put the baggy and the vile away... for a week, hell maybe even two weeks, or a month, it would then be something for special occasions, or whenever Cuddy was ready to do it again.

_Yes_, he thought to himself with a nod, it was that easy, that simple.

From here on out he would let Cuddy decide when they would venture out into this incredible experience again, but for today…just for today he wanted to keep riding the wave, the one that made everything and anything seem possible to him, the one that made him feel more alive than he ever had ever felt in his life before…. and the one the made him believe he could accomplish anything.


End file.
